Do you see me now?
by Bamse
Summary: Who am I, you may ask? For most part of my life I was invisible. I had planned to keep being invisible until graduation, but fate had something completely different in store for me. Because of one dreadful day in the bookstore of Diagon Alley, things started to change drastically. I'm Raina Thomson, but I'm sure you've never heard of me before. This is my story. SB/OC.
1. Prologue

**Here is a new story! It's going to be a SB/OC story eventually, but I'm not rushing in to that. The story begins when the marauders are about to embark on their sixth year at Hogwarts. My hope is that I'll keep the story alive until after they graduate.**

 **I would really appreciate if you would leave a review when you're done reading to let me know what you think! :)**

 **The story is somewhat AU so just keep that in mind when you read it in case some things doesn't make sense. I've made the school bigger - imagine there are basically 100 students per house and year. And yes, I realize the sorting ceremony would take ages if that would have been the case, but just disregard that scenario. Raina Thomson is the main character and she's the same age as the marauders, the story is written from her POV.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing. Literally nothing. Except for Raina.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Who am I, you may ask? Well, for most part of my life I was invisible. That was a part of my life that I was completely content with. I didn't bother anyone and so no one bothered me. Granted, my social life was quite dull, but I didn't mind. _Much._

I had planned to keep being invisible until graduation, but life certainly seemed to have something fairly different in store for me. My mundane life proceeded to carry on in a completely fine manner until one dreadful day in the bookstore of Diagon Alley. That day became the starting point for things to change drastically. I still wasn't sure if it changed for the better, or for the worse.

What's my name then, you wonder? Not that it should matter much to you, because I'm sure you've never heard about me before.

I'm Raina Thomson, and this is my story.

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure that it's alright that I leave?" My father asked me for the gazillionth time as we were strolling down the streets of Diagon Alley. His hand squeezed a little tighter at my shoulder as to letting me know that he didn't mind staying with me.

I smiled at him. I knew that he actually had to be at work right now, but he was too stubborn and proud to miss out on our tradition to buy new books and other school material together.

"Go, dad. I'll be fine," I told him while giving him a light pat on the back.

His face was tired, and I could see a bit of sadness in his eyes. He pulled me in to an embrace and I closed my eyes as I inhaled his intoxicating musk. Ronald Thomson was my best friend, my hero. He worked night and day to be able to support me. Whatever I wanted or needed he got me, no questions asked.

He put his hands on my shoulders and pulled away to give me a grin. "You going to meet up with some of your school mates?"

I felt a slight twitch at the corner of my mouth as I formed a smile and nodded my head. It would break his heart knowing that I barely had any friends.

"Have fun," he said and with a light tap on the Chudley Cannons hat I had my hair tucked in to, he apparated away to the Ministry of Magic.

With a muffled sigh I mumbled 'thank you' and turned around towards Flourish and Blotts to purchase the books I needed for this year's classes.

It didn't take long for me to reach the bookstore with it being only a few streets down from where my dad had left me. When I walked in through the doors, the bells chimed beautifully and the cashier looked up and greeted me with a nod.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the wonderful scent of old books. I took a few seconds to just look around the place, admiring the height of the bookshelves, wondering just how many different books they had in there.

After a few seconds of my weird admiration I walked over to the Potions section to try to find the book we needed for this years class.

Suddenly, amid my careful search, all the oxygen that filled my lungs evaporated as something forcefully slammed in to my back, making me fall over and completely tip over a bookshelf. Books were sprawled everywhere, and a fairly heavy object was nailing me to the ground.

Correction, a fairly heavy _boy_ was nailing me to the ground.

The head of tussled jet-black hair turned around and a pair of glimmering hazel-brown eyes looked at me confused.

Oh kill me now… None other than _James Potter_ was nailing me to the ground.

"Sorry 'bout that, love, the Snitch almost got away from me," he grinned as he held out his right hand where a Golden Snitch was beating its wings manically, trying to fly away.

Just as quickly as he had smashed in to me, he was up on his feet and reached out his left hand to help me up. It felt like my heart skipped a beat when he flashed a smile my way.

Still baffled about the accident, I looked around the room to observe the mess I had been a part of making.

I made eye contact with James and he almost looked like he recognized me for a second. I felt my cheeks warm up when I thought about that horrendous day in our fourth year where I had decided to try out for Gryffindor's Quidditch team. If it hadn't been for my strikingly interesting and adoringly irresistible personality (hello, ever heard of sarcasm before?), I might even have been able to finish my try-out.

"Who are you, then? Have we met before?" James asked me while I still tried to comprehend what had just happened.

It took me a few seconds to realize what he had just asked me. I sighed silently. This was just another confirmation to my previously stated theory – I was completely invisible. Not only were we in the same year and the same house, we had also taken about thirteen subjects together during our five years at Hogwarts. Plus the whole Quidditch-debacle, but that was a story for another time….

"I'm Ra-" I started.

"Oh bloody hell! Seriously?" James interrupted me and pointed somewhere alongside my face. I looked around confused, not sure what had drawn his attention away from me.

"What ar-"

His voice cut me off mid-sentence again. "Chudley Cannons? That's my team too! I swear by Merlin's beard that this is the year they will win the League Cup again!"

When he patted me on top of my head I started to comprehend what he was coming at.

"Oh." Was all I managed to say.

He gave me a somewhat disappointed look, perhaps wondering why I didn't start to jump with excitement just as he was practically doing. Or maybe he was wondering why he was still there, talking to a girl like me.

I was still a bit shocked, and a part of me was a nervous that I would be banned from entering this store ever again, on account of the chaos that had just been made. James on the other hand, seemed like he barely even noticed what a mess he had accomplished when crashing in to me.

A voice abruptly broke the awkward silence between us, and drew both of our attention towards the exit. "Prongs!"

I saw Sirius Black standing in the doorway, obviously calling for James. I hand't quite figured out why they suddenly decided to call each other by these peculiar nicknames, but since no one else questioned it, neither did I. They were so interesting that way, _the marauders_ , always in the centre of attention and adored by nearly every single soul at Hogwarts.

The tall, darkly handsome boy was looking right towards us. His eyes swiftly passed me for a second, before only focusing on his friend.

"What are you doing, mate? You just disappeared on us when we were leaving this place!" Sirius loudly asked and stared at James. Once again, I was completely invisible.

"The Snitch got away from me!" James explained and tossed the Golden Snitch up in the air, just to gracefully catch it again only a millisecond later.

He turned back towards me and smiled. I was surprised that he remembered that I was still standing there.

"Well that is my cue to leave. It was a blast knocking in to ya', Chudley-girl, hope to do it again sometime!" He said with a wink.

"Uhm, perhaps you could give me a heads up first then?" I heard myself saying.

Don't know what got in to me really. The less words escaping my mouth, the better. That's how you're supposed to keep your head down and not get in to any trouble. Damn it, Raina, now he's going to think you are a total nut.

But James laughed loudly and gave me a nod before disappearing out of the store following his friend.

I looked around the store confused, trying to see if anyone else were in as much of awe as I was about that whole surreal scene. But no one even looked my way; it was like none of them had a single care in the world for what had just happened.

I was still shocked. James Potter had talked to me. And Sirius Black had looked at me.

My heart practically jumped out of my chest when I played with the thought of being friends with _the marauders_.

But then I sighed to myself, realizing that both of the boys had probably forgotten about me by now.


	2. The Train

**...And here's the first chapter!**

 **I would appreciate if you would leave a review to let me know what you think!**

* * *

My dad hugged me tightly and planted yet another kiss on top of my head. I could see how his eyes were tearing up as he sent me a comforting smile, just like they always did every year when I was leaving for Hogwarts.

"I will see you for Christmas, dad. It's only about three and a half months. I'll be fine." I tried to console him.

He nodded his head vigorously and pulled me in for a last hug. I wondered if I would have been embarrassed about all this excessive hugging and kissing in public if I had been any other person. Well, a popular person, whom people would notice being bludgeoned with love.

I shook the thought away and returned the tight hug. In moments like this I felt lucky that I didn't have to worry about being embarrassed or not about things. People were running around us, screaming of excitement to start a new year at the most prestigious wizarding schools in world, but I knew that no one even noticed us.

"I love you, sugar bug," my dad said and smiled, "be safe and make sure to write me at least once a week."

I giggled and dried a tear of my cheeks. Damn, saying goodbye to my father became harder and harder for every year, it seemed.

"I will write you at least twice a week, dad," I smiled.

I grabbed my things and with a wave, I climbed on board the Hogwarts Express and left my father behind. I made my way towards the back of the train and sat down in the compartment I usually sat in. I had learned that not a lot of people went this far back in the train, everybody were too eager on being in the very front so that they would be the first persons to reach the school grounds.

I liked staying in the back by myself.

The train-whistle blew one last time, and as it started rolling out from the platform I sat down on one of the seats in the empty compartment. I looked out through the window hoping to catch a last view of platform nine and three-quarters, but only caught my own reflection staring back at me.

Golden-white hair, piercing blue eyes, and porcelain like pale skin.

My mom had always told me that when I hit puberty, boys would swarm around me because of my looks. I knew that I was a beautiful girl; being half-Veela I was essentially genetically immune to becoming ugly. I wasn't blind or anything towards it. But one thing that I had learned through the years that my mother hadn't taught me was that for people to see your beauty, they would have to see _you_ first. They had to know that you excited. And I hadn't had any luck in that department recently.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted as I got pulled back to reality by the sound of the doors sliding open loudly. A head covered with lustrous black hair peaked in and looked around, just to disappear moments later.

With the door still open I heard a dark voice shouting, "Hey, I found an empty one!"

Seconds later none other than Sirius Black walked in to the compartment.

I looked around confused and when he was accompanied by James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, I realized that he had been the one shouting about the empty compartment to his friends.

 _This_ empty compartment.

Except it wasn't empty. Clearly I was sitting in here.

I couldn't help but feel a bit of bitterness.

But my bitterness was replaced with embarrassment sooner rather than later, as I was reminded of my recent scenario with none other than James Potter from the other day.

 _Oh God, what if he remembers me?_

"Are you blind, Padfoot, or just plain stupid?" Remus Lupin, who was the first of the boys to make eye contact with me, asked his friend and slapped the back of his head lightly.

Sirius Black looked clueless as he rubbed his head gently.

"This compartment is taken already!" James chimed in and pointed to where I sat in the corner, curled up against the window.

"Oh," Sirius said when he noticed me. "Sorry about that love, I honestly didn't see you."

I believed him. No one ever saw me. It was the burden of being miss Raina Thomson. It surprised me that it still hurt slightly every time someone neglected to see me.

I didn't know if they expected me to say something, but the four of them were standing quiet staring at me.

"So…" Sirius finally said. "Are you waiting for others or can we sit here?"

My mouth opened slightly when I tried to figure out how to respond. They really put me in a pickle here. If I told them to sit down, they would know that I wasn't expecting any friends to come join me and they would certainly realize what a dork I was. But if I told them to leave, I would unquestionably feel lonelier than I had ever felt before having turned down my first opportunity to have some company on the train ride to school. But then again, they would probably assume that I had friends and at least then the most popular guys in school wouldn't see me as the friendless, socially awkward, dork that I was.

I decided to with the safer option. Tell them to bugger off. Tell them that you are expecting your mates to join you any second. There would be no room over for them to sit in here.

"You can sit here, if you want to," I heard myself saying.

 _Damn it, Raina! Why can't I ever listen to myself?_

"Who are you, then? Have we met before?" James asked me as he sat down on the seat opposite mine.

A strong sensation of déjà vu hit me.

I cursed myself for thinking that he might have recognized me from the bookstore.

"My name is Raina Thomson," I replied.

At least he let me answer the question this time.

"Clearly too old for this to be your first time at Hogwarts, what year are you in then, eh?" Sirius asked. He sounded genuinely curious, but I wouldn't let myself believe in the fact that they would remember anything I said after this surreal train ride was over.

I started fiddling with my robe nervously. "Uhm, starting sixth." I told him.

"That's like us!" Peter Pettigrew, who had taken a seat next to me, chimed while smiling.

 _Yeah, like I didn't know that already._

I didn't say anything. Instead, I hoped that they would turn their attention away from me and stop asking me question. Mostly, I hoped that my seat would turn in to a volcano, swallow me whole and banish me from this earth forever.

Luck was something I had lacked my entire life, why did I think it would suddenly happen to me now?

"Haven't seen you 'round before, what house are you in?" James asked and frowned pensively.

Why couldn't a Dementor fly by, give me an unholy kiss and let my soul leave my body? That seriously sounded more appealing than having to witness the marauders come to terms with what an embarrassing human being they were confined to sharing a compartment with.

"Are you a Hufflepuff?" Remus suddenly asked when I said nothing.

"Ravenclaw?" Sirius piped in.

"Oh Merlin, don't tell me that you're a _Slytherin_?" James asked with his face twisted in to nauseated grimace.

And that's when their guessing game stopped. There were only four houses at Hogwarts, but they couldn't even play with the thought that I could be one of them, a fellow Gryffindor student.

I thought that I would be more offended than I actually was. But I couldn't blame them. Why was I in Gryffindor really? I wasn't brave, I wasn't courageous and I had no friends to be loyal to. Even if I had been lucky enough to have a bunch of friends, how could I possibly know that I would be loyal to them?

"Gryffindor," I mumbled and felt my face heat up. I quickly looked down at my feet to avoid seeing the shocked expressions the lot of them most likely displayed.

I had seriously questioned a few times if the sorting hat had malfunctioned for a few minutes when I was sorted five years ago. I even spent an afternoon in the library during the beginning of my third year searching for ways that would have made the sorting hat make a mistake.

They were probably sharing looks of discomfort by now, as the awkward silence was so thick that you could almost burst it with a needle.

I, however, was too embarrassed to say anything so instead I delved down in my trunk and grabbed the latest copy of Seekers Weekly to take my mind off things.

As soon as I raised the magazine in front of my face, intentionally shutting myself off from the boys, I heard James snorting strangely.

"I remember you!" He shouted proudly.

I placed the magazine on my lap and stared at him puzzled.

"She's the Chudley-girl! From Flourish and Blotts!" He announced to his friends. The three of them looked at James for a few seconds and then turned their gaze towards me.

My face heated up, and I wondered if I looked the way I thought I did. Like a tomato, that is.

Even though this was probably the most embarrassing moment in my life, I still felt a ping of excitement.

 _James Potter actually remembers me._

"She's the girl who knocked me over and took out several bookshelves in the process," James told everyone with a bright smile on his face.

 _Say what now?_

"Uhm, you knocked me over. And it was one. _One_ bookshelf," I was quick to correct him and looked around stressed to see if everyone believed me. I hated how horrified I sounded.

James chuckled amused. "Indeed, I was just messing with you, Chudley-girl."

"So, if you're a sixth year like us, and in Gryffindor like us, how come none of us recognize you?" Peter said, dulling down the mellow laughter that was stirring in the compartment.

The warmth in my face quickly disappeared and it felt like someone had poured ice water down my throat.

If I were ever to use the Avada Kedavra curse on anyone, it would be on myself - right at this moment.

Or perhaps I would use it on Peter Pettigrew for asking the most stupid question ever.

 _How was I supposed to answer that?_

"Oh come on now, Wormtail, a beautiful girl like that has probably better things to do than hang around halfwits like us." Sirius Black was quick to come to my rescue.

My face probably turned bright red yet again. I felt like a stoplight, switching colours every two seconds.

Peter Pettigrew nodded his head slowly; taking in every word and gave me an apologetic smile.

When Sirius winked at me, I realized that he hadn't believed a single thing he had just said. They all saw for the invisible, friendless freak that I was.


	3. The Prank

**Thank you all for all the reviews/follows/favorites! It's much appreciated :) I hope you'll like this chapter. I kind of rushed it so I apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes and such.**

 **Enjoy! And remember to let me know what you think. :)**

* * *

The train couldn't have arrived at the school grounds sooner. I had planned to run out of the compartment, keep running until I reached the ocean, and then drown myself in it. I wanted to escape from the marauders as fast as I could, and I would probably spend the remainder of my two years at Hogwarts avoiding the lot of them at any cost.

I did tell you that _luck_ wasn't something that I experienced often, right?

"Oi, where are you running off to?" I heard someone saying just as a hand grabbed my shoulder firmly. James Potter was grinning at me widely.

"We were just about to observe the effects of our annual welcome-to-Hogwarts prank on the new students that we have set in motion," he said.

I stared at him confused. And why wasn't I allowed to leave then? What did they want from me?

"We would love for you to join us," Remus explained as he walked up next to James.

"You know a girl's perspective on things could really help us improve," James continued while still smiling widely.

"But mostly, if we get caught we can always blame things on you," Sirius chimed in and winked as he walked past me.

"Get caught?" I repeated nervously and looked at the other boys.

This was way too serious for me. I wasn't a prankster. I didn't get in to trouble. Why couldn't they just let me return to my lonely, dull life and pretend that they had never met me?

"Don't worry, we wont get in trouble, we never do," James assured me and gave my shoulder a little nudge as to telling me to get off the train.

After a few seconds of both curiosity and serious contemplation, I decided to follow the boys across the school grounds and in to the castle. Just a few moments later I found myself getting shoved up a secluded staircase in the Entrance Hall.

When I tried to ask what on earth we were doing, Sirius hushed me and pushed me down so that the banister would cover me. I could see through the gaps how the hall filled with young kids, the new first years, and I wondered deeply what the boys had in store for them.

All of a sudden, a voice interrupted my deep thoughts and I gasped as the transparent little man dressed in a hat, a yellow bow tie and a green suit everyone at Hogwarts knew and feared, appeared.

"Kiddies, kiddies, little magical pups! The marauders would like to bid you welcome!" Peeves, the poltergeist, sang loudly as he was floating high above the new students who were all observing him astonished.

I remember seeing Peeves for the first time in the library during my first year, thinking the little man was a fun entertainer, only to be frightened to death when he started throwing dungbombs around, making the library close down for a whole week due to the unbearably foul odour. That's when I understood that he was nothing more than a malicious pest, and I had quickly come to the realization to steer clear of him at any costs. I had heard that there was no reasoning with him, and that he listened to no one except for Dumbledore and the Bloody Baron.

Suddenly, the first years started shrieking loudly and pushed each other around as Peeves had begun to bombard the hall with eggs - rotten eggs to be exact. The smell quickly filled the whole hall, and I contemplated if this smell was in fact worse than the time he attacked the library with dungbombs.

Peeves was cackling frantically as he sent one egg after another towards the panicked first years.

"Remember kiddies, always obey the marauders!" He laughed and quickly vanished, just as Professor McGonagall entered the hall to witness the absolute chaos that had erupted.

She looked around confused, trying to find the responsible party just as some of the first years had started crying desperately, shouting about a mean ghost dressed in a bell-covered hat.

I turned around and stared at the boys whom were all clenching their stomachs, laughing silently but uncontrollably. I was breathing intensely.

"Remus Lupin, you're a prefect!" I hissed just as the boy was drying a tear off his cheek, still laughing hysterically.

"Don't worry, Chudley-girl, the eggs are enchanted, they will dry off and the smell will disappear within seconds," James told me while crying of laughter.

"You do this every year?" I asked them shocked.

Peter nodded his head forcefully with a wide, proud grin plastered on his face.

"Ever since we befriended Peeves during our third year", Sirius explained, he too smiling proudly.

I didn't know what to think, let alone say to the four of them. I was genuinely shocked, frightened and a little bit angry all at the same time. But I couldn't help but to feel intrigued as well. I didn't want to admit it out loud, but the thrill of knowing that we could get in trouble was very appealing.

This is what it was like living as a marauder?

"Come, Chudley-girl, we have to get to the Great Hall before anyone notice that we're missing," James said and grabbed my arm.

I snorted silently. At least they had the privilege for people to notice if they were missing. I was sure that I could miss a whole school year without anyone thinking twice about where I was. I didn't fit in to these boys' lives at all.

"But… How are we supposed to get past Professor McGonagall?" I asked hesitant.

McGonagall had placed herself in front of the entrance to the Great Hall; hands firmly placed on her hips, and with a wary look on her face. She looked like a vicious guard dog, ready to bite her teeth in to whoever wasn't supposed to be there.

"Simple, we're going to walk right past her," Sirius explained and grinned.

I was really confused. That would certainly get us all in to trouble. Maybe even expelled? My heart was pounding. What on earth had they gotten me in to?

"But-" I started saying only to be silenced when a large piece of fabric were thrown on top of my head. James stepped closer to me, and placed an arm around my shoulders. Remus, Sirius and Peter we're all standing in front of us, the fabric covering us all from head to toe.

"An invincibility cloak?" I gasped astonished.

So this is how the marauders we're able to pull all their famous pranks without getting caught? A part of me felt slightly disappointed. This way they we're basically cheating.

"A very generous gift from Mr Potter!" I heard Sirius whisper.

"Well, maybe we shouldn't call it a gift, Padfoot. We did _steal_ it from him, after all." James said and chuckled.

In silence, we walked down the stairs very well synchronized and passed the nervous first years, who actually didn't smell of rotten eggs anymore. When we reached the entrance, I noticed how Sirius couldn't help but poke Professor McGonagall in the side provocatively.

My heart started beating faster when she spun around and looked suspiciously right towards we were standing.

Remus held up his hand and started counting down from three with his fingers. When he reached zero, he opened the doors quickly and James pushed my back as we quickly ran inside the Great Hall.

As the doors shut behind us, I could hear McGonagall screaming, "Who's there? Who did that!?"

"Now what?" I whispered. "How are we supposed to get out from under this thing without anyone noticing?"

James chuckled behind me. "See that corner there?" He asked and pointed towards an empty spot at the end of the Gryffindor table. "If anyone asks, we've been sitting there the whole evening, and we were just practicing our apparition," he continued, and without any warning he pulled the cloak off and hid it inside his robes.

Barely anyone even flinched when we appeared out of nowhere. I guess they were all pretty used to the marauders 'practicing their apparition'. And why would anyone notice an already invisible girl?

"Come on, Chudley, dinner's about to start," James said and led me towards the table.

I still couldn't believe the night that I had just experienced. I wasn't quite sure whether to like or to fear the marauders. I sure didn't want to get on their bad side at least.

As we sat down by the well-decorated table, I quickly realized what it takes for people to notice an invisible girl. Sitting next to the marauders. People around us started whispering intensely, and I knew what they we're all thinking of me – _intruder_.


	4. The Dinner

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* * *

" _Who is she?"_

" _Why is that girl sitting with them?"_

" _Who does she think she is?"_

" _Is she even friends with them?"_

I tried to ignore it, but I heard how everyone was whispering about me. I had no idea that sharing a meal with the marauders would be such a big deal. Throughout the evening, I had been called everything from imposter to new student, and I even heard some people referring to me as a stalker. Sure, I knew that the marauders were basically treated as kings at this school, and it had always been a secret dream of mine to feel what it would be like to be friends with them. But never in a million years would I have imagined what a scene it would cause for someone outside of their close little group joining them for dinner.

I looked around at the boys. They were all stuffing their mouths full of chicken, roast beef, vegetables, gravy and mashed potatoes, seemingly not noticing the whispers around them. Either they were completely deaf, or they just ignored the gossip they had been part in creating this evening.

"So tell me, Chudley-girl," James said while chewing with his mouth open. He placed his fork and knife down on his platter. "Are you just a Quidditch supporter from afar or do you actually play the sport too?"

I felt my face heat up and I quickly shoved a few pieces of carrots in my mouth, buying me some time to figure out what to reply without embarrassing myself.

"If the backyard with my dad counts as playing," I mumbled under my breath while chewing, thinking that he wouldn't hear me. But James let out a loud laughter and grinned widely.

"You should try out for the Quidditch team then!" He exclaimed.

 _Oh but I did, two years ago, you were just too ignorant to notice me._

"We really need a new seeker since that bean Andrew Bell decided that graduating and becoming an Auror was more important than leading Gryffindor to its third consecutive win!" Sirius chimed in.

"Yeah what was he thinking, Padfoot?" James muttered and grunted.

"A classic fool…" Sirius said.

"…thinking he's too good for us, eh?" James continued, and they both started chuckling loudly.

My eyes went from Sirius, to James, back to Sirius again, and I was wondering how on earth their minds could be so synchronized.

"Are the two of you sure that you're not related? Brothers? Twins separated at birth?" I asked hesitantly.

I mean, if they're not related they had to be in love. Finishing each other's sentences, laughing at each other's jokes. It wouldn't surprise me if they held hands while going to the loo.

"What a wonderful thought that would be, what do you say Prongs, are we brothers?" Sirius exclaimed vividly as he took a big bite out of the chicken leg he held in one of his hands.

"Let's see, you sleep in my bedroom every school break, you eat my parents out of house and home and you do share my good looks and charm," James said while tapping his chin lightly as if he was thinking intensely, "We must be brothers, Padfoot!" He added and shot a sarcastic smile my way.

I rolled my eyes at them. _Now they were just making fun of me…_

"We've all had the same thought, Raina, but they're just the same type of fools, attached at the hip since the first day they met," Remus said and laughed. His eyes lit up slightly as he grabbed a bowl of the delicious-looking chocolate pudding that appeared on the table.

"Well, technically we are kind of related. You see James' uncle Charlus is married to my mother's aunt Dorea. Terrible people the lot of them, probably eats kittens for supper," Sirius said with his mouth filled with food, and grunted.

I couldn't help but laugh at him, just like the other boys did.

* * *

The dinner in the Great Hall had finished eventually, and I had laughed louder as well as felt happier during those hours than I had ever done throughout my previous five years at this school. A part of me had wished that the day would never end. I terrified that my life would go back to normal in the morning.

I had barely opened my trunk to start unpacking my clothes when I heard the bedroom door open with a loud crack. Andrea Lee was the first one to walk in, laughing vibrantly at something I presumed her friends had said just seconds before the door opened. I could glimpse the red hair of Lily Evans behind her.

"Hi Raina," Lily greeted as she walked through the door. "How has your summer holidays been?" She added.

Just as I was about to reply, Sarah Asher interrupted me.

"We saw you sitting with the marauders at dinner tonight," she said as soon as the door had closed behind them.

They were all staring at me, but I couldn't read their faces. Sarah, Lily and Andrea had been my roommates since our first year here at Hogwarts, but somehow I had missed out on the moment when the three of them had decided to become best friends…

 _Brace yourselves ladies and gents, here comes the mockery,_ a voice in my head sang.

"Why didn't you ever tell us that you were friends with them?" Lily asked me, but not in a snappy tone; she seemed more curious than sarcastic.

Just like I told them about everything else that was going on in my life?

It looked like they expected me to answer, but it seemed I had suddenly become mute. Not because these girls were all of a sudden paying attention to me, but because I feared that my so-called friendship with the marauders would only be a distant memory by the morning. After they had a good nights sleep and realized that they were back at Hogwarts in the morning, why would they care to continue to pity me?

"Andrea has had a crush on Sirius Black for ages, but he's to ignorant to notice it," Sarah stated when I failed at complying them with an answer.

Woah, maybe my theory that James and Sirius were in love was correct? For it would take a really stupid boy to not notice a girl like Andrea Lee. Everything about that girl was perfect. Perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect face and perfect body. Heck, I was even slightly attracted to her.

"Oh," was all I manage to say.

I could suddenly see where this conversation was headed. They only talked to me because they wanted something from me, and when they realized that I wasn't the person who could give it to them I was most certainly destined to go back to being the invisible girl I had always been.

"So, do you think you could introduce us sometime?" Andrea asked me. She smiled brightly and I could tell that she tried to be as friendly as ever, but I saw right through the façade. They must have known I would.

"Sure," I mumbled and turned away from them. My chest felt heavy as I started unpacking my clothes.

For a few moments I had actually thought that this would be the year I got some real friends. That was probably the dumbest thing I had ever imagined though. This surreal day couldn't possibly continue on in the morning, could it?


	5. The Friend

**Read and enjoy! Remember that I've decided to make the Hogwarts student body bigger so that not every student in the same year takes the same classes together.**

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* * *

I was really glad that I was a morning person. Before any of the other girls had woken up, I had been able to take a shower, get dressed and head to the Owlery in the West Tower to send a letter to my dad saying that I made it safely to school. By the time I was done and reached the Great Hall to eat breakfast, only a few other students were up and scattered around the tables.

As I poured myself a cup of hot coffee, I smiled and felt confident that I would be able to eat in peace and quiet. The few woken hours I had been back at school had all been surreal and extraordinary, and I was actually glad that things were finally back to normal.

Or so I thought.

"Chudley-girl!" A loud voiced echoed through the hall. A few Hufflepuffers sitting close to my table looked up and giggled silently when they saw James Potter standing a few metres from me, wide grin and arms expelled from his body.

"Merlin…" I mumbled under my breath as the marauders approached and sat down around me.

"Did you sleep well, love?" James said when he sat down across from me.

"Peachy," I responded quietly, wondering why the four of them had decided to suddenly terrorize my life.

"Excited for classes?" Remus Lupin asked as he started to spread butter on a piece of toast.

"Would you be excited with this schedule?" I asked him and reached in my pocket and handed him a piece of parchment. Before he could take it, Sirius Black snapped it out of my hand and unrolled it.

"Let's see what we got here…" He mumbled as he observed my class schedule closely. A wide grin started to form on his face.

"I would be very excited if I was you!" Sirius exclaimed. "She won't be able to escape from us now, Prongs," he added, laughing, and tossed the paper over to James.

I looked at them confused. What were they talking about?

"Look at this, you're going to have class with at least one of us this whole year! Aren't you lucky, Chudley-girl?" James laughed and started scribbling little notes on the parchment before handing it back to me.

I saw how he had written the first letters of their first names mixed after each and every one of my subjects, possibly indicating which of the fool's I had to endure the class with.

I couldn't help but laugh at him, although I wondered if they were just out to make fun of me or if they genuinely wanted to be friends with me.

"And look at that, you're stuck with me this morning, Chudley-girl," Sirius said and grinned as he pointed at the first column on the paper. I looked at it to see what he meant.

Potions class, eight o'clock, a single 'S' marked behind.

"Wonderful." I mumbled and rolled the parchment back up and put it in my pocket.

* * *

A fog of invisible but awkward silence started to surround us as Sirius and I walked towards the dungeons side by side. My fingers started to twitch as I searched for something to say. I don't know why I felt so nervous, being silent had never bothered me before, but now it felt like a complete curse.

"My roommate has a crush on you," I heard myself blurt out.

 _Really, Raina? That was the only thing you could come up with?_

I sighed and closed my eyes as I felt more and more mortified. I really had to resist the sudden urge of slapping myself in the face.

I heard Sirius laugh loudly. "Really? And what's you roommates name, then?"

"Uhm, I can't say", I mumbled embarrassed. I couldn't let the situation get any worse. Andrea and the other girls would possibly hate me forever if they ever found out about this conversation.

"Let me guess, she saw you sitting with us last night and now she wants to use you to get to me?" Sirius asked and grinned widely.

My face started to heat up, and I could tell that my cheeks were probably turning a bright shade of red. I looked at him astonished. Had he been in our room last night? Impossible. Boys weren't aloud in the girls' dormitory and vice versa. But then again, they were the marauders, they had probably come up with a way to elude that arrangement somehow.

"No." I told him hesitantly. Either he had actually found a way to eavesdrop last night or he was possibly the most self-assured man on the planet.

He gave me a look that made my face heat up even more. As if he knew that I was lying.

"Okay, yes! But how on earth did you know that?" I admitted despondently.

"I'm Sirius Black, I know everything," he said playfully. "Now, spit out the name, love."

"Alright her name is Andrea Lee, and if you ever tell someone that I told you this I will-", I started to say.

"You will what? Duel a marauder?" Sirius interrupted me mockingly and chuckled.

"If that's what it takes to keep you quiet, then yes!" I said and crossed my arms.

I could see the potions classroom appearing in the distance and I silently begged whatever God was listening that I would be able to make it there before I would drop dead of embarrassment.

 _And did I really just challenge Sirius Black to a duel? Damn it, Raina, you're so stupid._

"I might have to take you up on that offer sometime," Sirius laughed.

I didn't say anything, instead I fixated my eyes on my goal – that big, heavy potions-door that somehow wasn't getting closer fast enough. Why couldn't my short legs walk faster when I needed them to?

"Hey now, don't run away from me, I want to know more about this Andrea-girl. Is she good-looking? She sounds good-looking." Sirius said jokingly.

Why had I run in to James Potter that day in Diagon Allay? Why did the marauders decide to sit down in my compartment at the Hogwarts Express? And why on earth had it evidently become their mission in life to torment me this year?

Just as the classroom door was in my reach, I turned back to Sirius and grabbed him firmly by his collar. For a second I couldn't tell if he or I was more surprised by my action.

"For everything that is holy in life, I'm begging you to forget about everything I have just said," I hissed at him determined.

I decided to not wait for him to answer, but instead I hurried in to the classroom and grabbed a seat in the front.

I don't know why I had thought that Sirius would leave me alone, for just a few seconds later he sat down next to me with a loud thump and a huge, but annoying, grin plastered on his face.

"Raina Thomson, you're quite strong for your size!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"I'm surprised you even remember my name. Did 'Chudley-girl' go out of style for you?" I whispered sarcastically.

"Feisty!" Sirius said and laughed, just as I noticed someone taking a seat on my other side.

I looked over and saw none other than Andrea Lee smiling at me. _Oh kill me now._

"Hi Raina," she chimed and kept smiling.

Without responding, I quickly turned back to Sirius and tried to give him a look that was saying _'not a word, or you're dead'_. Not sure if he got the memo though.

"Andrea Lee, right?" Sirius said and reached his hand over me to shake hers. He gave me an amused glance as she took his hand hasty.

Why couldn't Professor Slughorn arrive and keep everyone from talking? Right now would be the perfect time for that, actually.

"You're one of Raina's roommates?" Sirius asked and leaned one of his elbows against the desk so he could look at us both at the same time.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Yes, we're _really_ good friends," I heard Andrea say eagerly.

By reflex, I felt how my eyebrows shot up to the sky pensively.

Yes, I was probably just as good of a friend with her as I was with Mr. Filch the caretaker, I thought to myself.

"Really good friends, huh?" Sirius repeated and grinned at me widely.

Although I was completely horrified hearing how Andrea kept lying about our so-called friendship, I did have to stop myself from laughing loudly as Sirius made fun of her and everything she said without her realizing it.

The class lasted for two hours, but it felt like days had gone by when I was finally able to sprint up and quickly flee the classroom. Those two hours had by far been the most awkward and humiliating hours of my life. Sirius had been grinning teasingly at me during the whole class, and Andrea had excessively trying to get his attention the whole time - even asking me to switch seats with her at one point. Not that I would have minded switching seats, I would gladly have switched school to get away from the two of them, but every time I tried to get up Sirius found some way to get me to stay. He had even threatened to use a stunning spell on me if I left him alone.

I was hell bent on never associating with the marauders ever again.


	6. The Nickname

**Hey! Sorry for the wait. Thank you for the nice comments on the previous chapter! I hope you enjoy this one. :)**

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* * *

I had twenty minutes to find a way to hide from Sirius before I had to endure two hours of Transfiguration class with not only him, but all of the marauders.

I tried to calm my breathing as I stood crouching under the staircase in the entrance hall, hidden from every student that passed me. I closed my eyes as I breathed heavily and tried to make myself smaller. I seriously started to contemplate arriving to class late and risk getting a detention to be able to find a seat as far away from the boys as possible.

I heard hurried steps around me and I realized that second period was about to begin, but I was no where close to ready to step out from my hiding-place.

Suddenly, I saw a pair of feet stop right in front of me before someone bent down and looked at me.

Sirius Black was grinning widely at me.

"You really have to do better than this if you want to get rid of us, love," he said.

He pulled a strand of his dark, glistening hair back over his head and stared at me with his piercing grey eyes. I don't know why, but my whole body started to tingle and I felt incredibly nervous.

"How on earth did you find me?" I heard myself ask, and I hoped he wouldn't notice the sudden shakiness of my voice.

"Let's not get in to that now, Chudley-girl, you're about to get us all in trouble," James Potter said and popped his head down and smiled at me.

"You're free to go to class without me," I mumbled and crawled out from under the staircase, only to see Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew stare at me amused.

"Our motto is to never leave a man behind," James said proudly and reached one of his hands towards me to help me get up, "Or in this case, a lady."

"If one of us are getting in to trouble, we sure do try our hardest to join in on the excitement," Sirius stated.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out why they wouldn't leave me alone.

"Mates, I think class has just started," Remus announced to the group.

We all looked around. The hallways were completely empty, and every classroom in sight had their doors shut.

I sighed loudly and felt my whole body turn colder. I had never gotten in to trouble, I had never lost points for our house, and I had certainly never earned myself a detention. How could I have ever considered arriving late to class?

I could feel the colour escaping my face, since it felt like my heart suddenly had stopped pumping blood.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Chudley, I'm sure professor McGonagall is going to like this new rebellious side of you," he said as he put one of his arms around my shoulder.

I couldn't tell if he was mocking me or trying to comfort me.

"Is it really true that she always gives out detentions when someone is late?" I asked, which made all of them chuckle.

When we reached the Transfigurations classroom, I took a deep breath as Remus pulled to doors open loudly. It felt like I was awaiting a death sentence. James practically had to push me in to the classroom because my legs had forgotten how to function properly.

Everyone fell silent when McGonagall turned around and stared at us sourly.

"Mr Potter, Mr Black, Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew, how utterly considerate of you to grace us with your presence today," she said sharply. Right after, she seemed to notice me nervously hiding behind James. And she certainly wasn't the only one noticing me, the room practically vibrated with whispers.

I felt smaller and smaller for each glare shot in my direction.

"And Miss Thomson I see. This is certainly out of character for you," McGonagall stated and gave me a cold look. I heard some people snicker quietly. "You can all take your seats, and I expect to see all of you in the detention chamber at eight o'clock tonight," she added before quickly turning her back at us.

It felt like my face was on fire when I sat down at one of the empty seats in the back. Unfortunately, Sirius and James sat down on each side of me, both grinning teasingly.

"Now wasn't that fun?" Sirius whispered and leaned in closer to me. I turned to him and breathed heavily.

"I will punch you in the groin, Black," I told him sincerely, which made James have to suppress a hysterical laughter.

"Miss Thomson!" I heard McGonagall say loudly, still with her back turned towards us. My whole body stiffened, and some people turned in their seats to stare at me.

"Do you have something you'd like to share with the rest of us?" McGonagall added and spun around.

 _Bloody hell, that lady had good hearing._

"Uhm, n-no, m-mam," I stuttered nervously and turned my head down embarrassed.

The boys were practically turning in their seats trying not to laugh out loud.

* * *

By the end of the day I had finally come to terms with not being able to escape the marauders. I still couldn't figure out why they wanted to hang out with me, but I had reluctantly accepted my fate. I was suspicious of their intentions though, but they were actually pretty entertaining to be around so for the moment I had decided to play along.

"I think we need a new nickname for you. 'Chudley-girl' just takes too long to say," James announced as he grabbed a big bite of roast beef.

Classes were over for the day and now we were eating our final meal before we all had to serve our punishment in the detention chambers. It really did feel like I was about to be hanged. Or drowned. Or burned at the stake. Was this how it was always going to feel hanging out with the marauders?

"How about Speedster, you know, cause she's always trying to run away from us?" Sirius suggested and grinned at me.

"How about Raina, you know, my name?" I sighed and pushed away the plate in front of me. I was so nervous about the detention that my appetite had vanished.

James laughed. "Nah, we can't go around shouting your real name while doing the things we do, it could get you in trouble," he said.

"What about Blondie?" Remus suggested and started playing with my glimmering white hair teasingly.

I looked at him displeased.

"I still think Speedster is our top-pick," Sirius said with his mouth filled with food.

James rolled his eyes and sighed. "Speedster sounds like some sort of muggle-superhero, Padfoot"

"How about Skippy, then?" Sirius said and smiled.

James face lit up. "That could work! Alright, all in favour of Skippy, raise your hands!" He exclaimed.

All four of the boys raised their arms quickly and stared at me amused.

I grunted loudly and rested my chin in my hands. "Oh Merlin, why can't you just call me by my name? I don't even want to join your stupid escapades," I mumbled.

"Sorry Skippy, four votes against one, you lost. Better get used to your new name! And our _marvellous_ escapades," James laughed.

"So I get to be called _Skippy_ while the four of you have nicknames that not a single soul at this school understands the meaning behind?" I muttered displeased while all of them started to chuckle loudly.

"If you play your cards right, we might just tell you some of our secrets," Sirius said and grinned widely. I saw how Remus gave Sirius a disapproving look, but I didn't have much time to reflect on it since all of a sudden Peter cleared his throat loudly and nudged James nervously.

"Incoming, Prongs," he whispered and nodded towards the entrance, where Lily Evans was standing looking like she was searching for someone in the crowd.

"Uhm, what's happening?" I wondered as I saw how both Sirius and Remus shone up brightly like the sun whilst James looked like he wanted to disappear.

"Just wait," Remus whispered in my ear and turned slightly to look at Lily who had started to march up to where we were sitting.

"James Potter! You obnoxious, arrogant little toerag!" Lily spat out as she started to get closer.

I saw how James took a deep breath, straightened his back a little and winked at Sirius before turning his face and smiling widely at Lily.

"How wonderful to see you too, love, is something the matter?" He asked with a remarkable tone of self-confidence.

"Wipe that conceited grin off your face, Potter, you know what you have done!" She hissed at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

I had heard about the fierce and loud squabbles that occurred from time to time between James Potter and Lily Evans, but I had never been up close to witness one. Frankly, I was quite in awe of what was happening. And deeply curious to find out what James could have done to upset Lily like this.

"You might have to jog my memory a bit. Is it supposed to be something I have done these past twenty-four hours, this week or this year? Because I admit that I _may_ have done a few questionable things in my life that could make you look at me the way you do now," James said and kept grinning at her. "But I do _love_ it when you look at me, Evans," he added flirtatiously.

Lily rolled her eyes at him and she started to look like she wanted to punch him in the face.

"Quit fooling around, Potter! I know that it was you who hit Alistair McGregor with a tail-growing hex last night!" Lily spat out and stared at him coldly.

"Never heard of an Alistair McGregor, but I did hear about the second-year in Slytherin who recently got another little knob to care of between his legs," James said and started to chuckle along with the other boys.

I was too scared of receiving the wrath of Lily to even make a sound.

Lily suddenly fixated her attention to Remus. "Lupin! You're supposed to be a prefect, how can you allow him to keep hexing students?"

"I believe that people are innocent until proven guilty, Lily," Remus answered calmly and smiled at her.

"I think McGonagall is going to perceive the situation differently," Lily stated. She was just about to turn around and leave before she noticed me sitting next to Remus.

"Glad to see that you've gotten your priorities straight, Raina. I sure hope you enjoy your detention tonight," she said sarcastically and stared at me, before turning around and marching out of the Great hall.

 _Ouch, what had I ever done to her?_

"I guess we're not going to braid each others hair and have pillow fights any time soon?" I sighed.

All four boys were looking at me amused.

"You're not truly a marauder until you've managed to get Lily Evans on your bad side," Sirius said and laughed.


	7. The Detention

**Hi! Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites on the last update. I really hope you like this chapter! The story is still a little in its getting-to-know-the-characters phase, but I do have a plan for it :) You'll just have to wait and see.**

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* * *

James Potter let the Golden Snitch escape his hands before casually catching it again, just to repeat the motion a few seconds later. He was walking a few metres in front of me, evidently pretending not to hear what I had just asked him.

"Why is he ignoring my question?" I carefully asked Remus, who was walking next to me. The frustration of being ignored counteracted the fact that I was walking towards the gates of hell at the moment. The gates of hell being the detention chambers, that is.

Remus chuckled when James turned his head and smirked at me.

"I'm not ignoring you, Skippy, I'm choosing to let you figure out the answer to your question on your own," he said before turning his attention back to the Golden Snitch.

That basically sounded like a confession to me.

"Well, then I chose to believe the worst. You _did_ hex that poor second year," I denounced.

"I only give people what they deserve," I heard James proclaim from in front of me.

"And that boy deserved it _how_ exactly?" I sighed.

Seriously, what kind of people had I gotten in to bed with? What bugged me the most wasn't how boastful the lot of them were, but that their attitude actually _intrigued_ me. I could count the hours I had been back at Hogwarts, and by that short amount of time, my five year spot free record had been demolished, I had witnessed and not attempted to stop a hazardous attack on all the first years and I had completely soured in the eyes of Lily Evans – the one person who had always been somewhat nice to me.

"Oh, Skippy, if you don't know the answer to _that_ question, you certainly have a lot to learn," James laughed.

"You should feel very lucky that we found you when we did," Sirius said and as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, I looked at him puzzled. I started feeling jittery and I could feel my palms getting sweatier.

 _Let's get a few things straight._ I had spent merely a third of my life being close to invisible so clearly I was somewhat behind on my social skills. When suddenly a real, oxygen-breathing and nutrient-dependent person acknowledged my existence it shouldn't come as a surprise that I would get nervous. When that said oxygen-breathing and nutrient-dependent person is not only one, _but all four of the marauders_ , it had made my nerves go completely haywire. And since talking to them made me feel this way, when none other than Sirius Black wrapped his arm around me, _actually having body contact with me_ , I had to really contain myself from having my brain go in to a complete system malfunction.

Remus Lupin suddenly interrupted my thoughts. "The first and most important thing you need to learn is that Slytherin students always deserve what we throw at them," he told me very matter-of-factly.

I stared at him bewildered, not really sure what I was supposed to say. "You really don't deserve to be a Prefect, Remus Lupin."

"I've never implied otherwise," he told me and grinned.

I couldn't help but to laugh at him amused.

"And the second thing you need to learn is to never question your comrades' decisions," James announced and turned to shoot me a bright smile.

"Even if said decisions are about to get you killed," Peter chimed in gladsomely.

"Ah, yes! That is an excellent example, Wormtail," Sirius was quick to agree.

James suddenly stopped and turned around to stare at me with his glistering hazel eyes. His perfect teeth were showing behind his wide smile.

"And we never turn on each other, even if Mr Filch has us hanging upside down by our toes, force-feeding us frog eyes to get information," he said.

I suddenly felt really uncomfortable. Was he saying that being force fed frog eyes was a real possibility when being friends with them?

"Has that really happened?" I asked frightened and swallowed.

It couldn't have happened, could it? Professor Dumbledore surely couldn't allow it.

Still, James lack of response made me quite unsure. All he did was chuckle and turn back around to continue to walk towards the gates of hell.

"It's never happened," Sirius whispered in my ear just as we reached the detention chambers, "yet."

The feeling of his breath hitting my ear made my whole body tingle.

* * *

Detention was nothing like I had imagined it would me. I genuinely thought that we would have to sit a few hours by a desk in silence. I could stretch my imagination as far as to be required to write an essay about how sorry we were for disobeying the rules.

But instead, McGonagall had us follow her to the Herbology Storeroom where we were forced to take inventory of all the equipment for several hours. In silence. With no use of magic. Naïvely and optimistically, I hoped that it would somehow get me in good graces with Professor Sprout.

I was quite surprised when McGonagall hadn't mentioned the Alistair McGregor incident for a while, thinking that Lily hadn't made good on her warning to tell the professor about it. But when James and Sirius disobeyed the rule of silence and McGonagall bluntly threatened to bestow James with a tail _that would stick_ if they didn't keep quiet, I realized that she had known this whole time. But when that was all she said about the situation, I couldn't help but wonder how many other mischiefs she had let the marauders get away with all these years.

"Alright children, it's ten o'clock," McGonagall said while she looked at her pocket watch, "I release you from your services."

I could hear the boys pant relieved. Since they beat me in both length and strength, they had been forced to do the heavy lifting and reaching.

As I observed Remus putting back a large box on the top shelf, a small drop of sweat making its way down his forehead, I realized I was essentially stuck in the squatting position I had been in for the past hour. My knees were locked and I could feel my thighs burning. I hadn't been able to stretch my legs for quite some time, fearing McGonagall's disapproval if I suddenly stopped counting the numerous pouches of Spiky Bush seeds that were inhabiting several boxes on one of the bottom shelfs. There were 436 pouches, by the way. I couldn't for the love of me understand why Professor Sprout needed that much Spiky Bush.

I sighed loudly and with a loud thump I leaned backwards and let my bottoms hit the floor ungracefully. I seriously needed to work out more.

"Are you doing okay down there, Skippy?" James, who was standing closest to me, teased before reaching out one of his hands to help me up.

"Everything hurts," I moaned and leaned down to rub my thighs gently.

"The next time one of you decide to arrive late to my class I will have you clean out every single cage in the Owlery with your bare hands," McGonagall warned us as she walked past to open the door.

I made a silent promise to my legs to never upset the professor ever again.

* * *

After finally reaching the Gryffindor common room, I immediately set my sights on an empty couch and dragged my feet as quickly as I could towards it just to crash down on it with my face squished onto one of the pillows. My whole body was hurting from the manual labour and having to climb seven floors worth of stairs to get back to the common room. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep for weeks.

I heard footsteps around me, and I reluctantly opened one of my eyes to see the marauders having sat down by the armchairs that surrounded my couch.

"This day has been awful, why do you hate me so much?" I asked them with a muffled voice.

I heard James chuckle from the armchair beside my head.

"We don't hate you, Raina," Peter announced from a few metres away, and smiled at me friendly.

I glanced at him and smiled back. "Thank you, Peter," I said before closing my eyes quickly as a strand of my blonde hair had started to irritatingly entangle with my eyelashes.

"It looks like everyone else have already gone to sleep. We should too," I heard a voice that sounded like it belonged to Remus say.

"You're right, we've had enough trouble for one day to risk getting caught hanging out here past hours," someone agreed. My mind had suddenly become too blurry to make out who was saying what.

I felt a hand grab my arm carefully. "Come on, Skippy."

I grunted displeased and quickly hid my arms under the pillow that was squishing my face before someone could grab it again.

"Just let me sleep here tonight," I mumbled, my eyes feeling heavier and heavier for each second that passed. I heard someone laughing in the distance, but I was too tired to care who it was.

"You have to get back to your dormitory, you'll regret it if you awake to McGonagall screaming at you in the middle of the night otherwise," one of the boys said. My ears had started to fill with a pleasantly buzzing sound, and I couldn't make out who was speaking to me at the moment.

"I'll be okay," I mumbled, quite surprised that my mouth was still able to form actual words.

"We can't leave her here," I heard someone say as I fell deeper and deeper in to a dark but lovely abyss.

"Well, what do you propose we do about it, Padfoot?"

"Come on, Moony, do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"Are you actually going to risk getting in to _that_ much trouble, Padfoot? What if someone sees you?"

That was the last I heard of the boys' conversation before the wonderful state of sleep swallowed me whole.

I had the most peculiar dream though. I was carried up some stairs on the back of a big, black dog. How its hair tickled my nostrils and the musky smell the fur transpired had felt so real. When I climbed in to a large, comfortable bed, the dog had watched me closely. The dark and striking grey eyes had looked so familiar, but I hadn't been able to figure out from where before the dog had hurriedly run away from me.

When I woke up in my own bed in the morning, I had trouble letting the dream go. Had it really happened?

I sighed and shook my head slowly. A big, black dog. At the grounds of Hogwarts. In the Gryffindor common room. I must be going crazy if I actually thought that the dream had been real.

I must have sleep walked back to the bedroom.


	8. The Map

**I was able to finish writing this chapter pretty quickly and thought i'd post it here right away. Hope you like it!**

 **I want to say thanks for the favorites, follows and reviews on the last chapter. The 'romance' part is starting to blossom now. :)**

 **Please REVIEW to let me know what you think!**

* * *

The school week went by rapidly and I found myself actually seeking out the marauders' company. They were fascinating, and it felt as if they genuinely wanted to be around my company as well. But hanging out with the marauders had its side effects. I could be imagining it, but it felt as if teachers were being unusually stern towards me all of a sudden. When James 'accidentally' decided to release a box of pixies during charms class one day, I could feel how Mr Flitwick acted coldly towards not only the marauders, but towards me as well during the remainder of the class. But that wasn't the only side effect. Suddenly people knew my name; they knew who I was. People who I had never talked to before kindly greeted me when I walked past them in the hallways. It was quite bizarre. I had been invisible for five years at the school, and after a mere week hanging out with the marauders I was suddenly… someone.

When Friday afternoon hit, and all our school work were put on hold until Monday morning, the marauders had decided to throw a party in the Gryffindor common room. Peter and Remus had volunteered to sneak in to Hogsmeade to fetch some firewhisky and butterbeer and they had come back with several crates so filled that I thought every house in the school was invited to the party. Don't ask me how they managed to do it, though. I had long given up on trying to understand how the boys pulled off the million questionable things they did every week.

I was sitting on a couch next to James, sipping on a lukewarm bottle of butterbeer when my stomach decided to let out an unflattering sound. Sirius was sitting on a couch next to ours, and Peter and Remus was around somewhere, probably socializing with a couple of girls. It was past midnight and I hadn't been able to get much dinner since the boys had stressed too much about preparing for the party.

"I'm so hungry," I mumbled and rubbed my stomach softly. It growled yet again.

"Yeah, we can all hear that," James said and laughed.

"You should be screaming for food too, James, you barely ate anything tonight," I said and gave his shoulder a nudge.

He nodded his head slowly while taking a sip from the bottle he held in his hands.

"The kitchen is always open," Sirius announced from the couch next to us and smiled widely.

"But the kitchen is all the way down in the basement, I'm too tired to go there," James said and sighed. "Butterbeer will have to do for now. I'm getting another one," he added and stood up. He took a final gulp from his bottle and put it down on the table before disappearing in to the crowd.

My stomach let out yet another howl and I looked at Sirius who was grinning widely. I didn't really know what to say, I felt so nervous when Sirius and I were left alone. It could be due to the fact that he was hands down the most gorgeous boy in the school. And he probably knew he was too.

"Alright, I can't let a damsel starve," Sirius said as he too stood up from the couch. He walked towards me and reached out one of his hands for me to grab it. "Come on then, love", he said.

"What are you doing?" I asked nervously as he started leading me through the crowd towards the exit.

He looked at me and smirked. "Feeding you," he said as he climbed out of the fat lady's portrait, his hand still around mine forcing me to climb after him.

"Are you completely bonkers? We're not supposed to walk around in the castle past 11, what if we get caught?" I felt anxious. Partly because I felt that I was about to get myself in to some serious trouble yet again, and partly because I was walking closely next to Sirius, all alone in an empty castle, his fingers pleasantly tickling my arm.

I wondered if he could hear my breathing hasten.

"We won't get caught," Sirius said confidently. His grip around my hand tightened as he led me down the stairs and in to a dark corridor.

I looked around nervously, expecting to see Mr Filch pop up in front of me at any second.

"How do you know? Do you have eyes at the back of your head and super-hearing?" I whispered.

Sirius chuckled warmly and stopped. He gently pushed my back against a cold, stone wall and smirked before he reached in to grab something from under his robes.

For a second I thought he was going to pull his robes off and whip out his… you know… _thing._ I could feel my legs starting to turn to jelly and my heart had started to flutter excessively.

"I have something much better," Sirius said as he pulled out a blank piece of white paper.

I exhaled and felt a wave of disappointment flood over me.

"A piece of parchment?" I asked. "You're right, we certainly won't get caught now," I added sarcastically.

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes at me.

"Just take out your wand and point it at the paper," he urged me.

I hesitated for a few seconds before doing as he told. Like a fool I stood pressed against the wall, pointing at a useless piece of paper with my wand, Sirius standing close in front of me smiling widely.

"Now repeat after me," he said, " _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_."

I looked at him with an ounce of skepticism.

"You're joking?" I asked, wondering if he was playing a trick on me.

He sighed again. "Just say the words!"

I stared at him for a while before looking down at the paper, the tip of my wand resting easily on it.

"Fine," I mumbled. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," I added hesitantly.

The parchment started to immediately fill with ink, words transforming on to it, a huge portrayal of what looked like the Hogwarts castle appearing. After a few seconds I could read the words that were decorating the front of the paper.

Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, & Prongs  
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers  
Are proud to present  
THE MARAUDER'S MAP

I stared at Sirius who was grinning widely before unfolding the parchment. On it was a map of the entire castle, every classroom, hallway and storage room. Every little corner of the school that I knew was covered on the paper. There were even a couple of rooms and passages that I didn't even realize existed until now marked on the map.

I could see both my name and Sirius name bobbing close to each other in a hallway not far from the Gryffindor common room. I also noticed how there were several names, mixed together and circling around by the spot where the common room was. I suddenly realized how every name of every student, teacher, employee and even ghost at the school appeared somewhere on the map.

I tore my eyes away from the map to look at Sirius bewildered.

"What is this sorcery?" I whispered intrigued.

He laughed and grabbed the map from me. "This, love, is the marauder's map. Our greatest accomplishment," he said proudly.

I suddenly realized something.

"That thing is the reason I have never been able to hide from you guys!" I exclaimed, my voice raised a little too high. Sirius was quick to hush me before looking down at the map to see if someone patrolling the grounds had started to move closer to where we were standing.

"That's quite insightful of you, love," Sirius whispered while observing the map.

"Alright, we have Mr Filch approaching us from the left and the Bloody Baron blocking the staircase on our right, come with me," Sirius said. I heard him mutter the words _mischief managed_ before he folded the map back up and put it back under his robes.

He grabbed my arm again and started leading me further down the hallway, just in the direction where he had just said that Mr Filch was approaching from.

"Didn't you just say…" I started to say but was interrupted by him hushing me.

"Give me a second," he whispered. He stopped right by a large portrait of an old, fat man sleeping on a couch, a large pipe swinging in one of his hands. Sirius grabbed his wand and quickly tapped it on a few of the bricks next to the portrait, backed up a few steps and contently observed the portrait swinging open, revealing a small and dark passage behind.

"Oi, who's there? Who dare wake me up?" I heard the fat man from the portrait yell.

Sirius urged me to climb in to the hole.

"It's just me, Paul," Sirius said as he followed me in to the darkness. I figured that he was speaking to the fat, pipe-smoking man.

"Aah, Mr Black, carry on with your business then," I heard the man saying followed by a loud yawn.

Sirius gently pushed my back to get me to move further in to the dark passage, and he was quick to swing the portrait shut behind us.

I couldn't see anything; it was pitch black around us. I tried taking a few steps forward, but I felt the ground under my feet disappearing and I could feel myself about to fall on my face when a pair of strong arms reached around my waist to steady my body.

"Lumos." I heard Sirius whisper, and the light from his wand sparked up right in front of my eyes.

I noticed how close we were standing. His face was just a few centimetres away from my face. My stomach pulled in to a tight twist and I felt how I stopped breathing. Sirius kept gripping my waist with his arms and his lips started to form in to a wide smirk.

"Why isn't this cosy," he said.

It wasn't until he spoke that my mind and my body finally started to work together. I cleared my throat and put one of my hands against his chest and pushed him away from me gently. I couldn't be standing this close to him any longer, I would faint if I did. His body, his scent, and the way his eyes looked at me made my whole body melt.

"Uhm, th-the kitchen," I mumbled just as his hands let go of my waist.

"Right," he said and cleared his throat. I don't know if I was imagining it, but he too looked a bit flushed.

He gave me a wide and friendly smile before gesturing to me to follow him down some narrow and steep stairs. I suddenly realized just how badly my fall would have been if Sirius hadn't caught me a few moments earlier.

It took us a while to climb the stairs all the way down to the basement. As we walked down, we were doing it in silence, the only noise coming from our footsteps and breaths. I wondered if I was the only one who could hear my heart beating loudly, how it was practically shooting out from my chest. Every time I thought about Sirius arms around my waist and his striking grey eyes intensely staring in to mine, my heart started beating a little faster.

When we reached the kitchen corridor, Sirius tickled the pear on a painting of a large fruit bowl, making it transform in to a door knob. He held the door open for me to enter the ginormous kitchen. As we sat down across from each other at one of the tables, I felt how my appetite had suddenly disappeared. My stomach was way to jittery for me to be able to eat something.

I realized then and there that I really fancied Sirius Black.

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 _Please review!_


	9. The Secret

**Hey guys! I hope there are still some people reading this story! I'm so, so sorry for the long wait! School and work has gotten in the way. This chapter is more of a 'filler' and I promise that I'll update more regularly from now on :)**

 **I wanted to give a big THANK YOU for the wonderful reviews, it is what keeps me motivated! Don't forget to give me a review on this one (even though it's a really short chapter), if I still have any readers left... :)**

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The next morning I woke up even before the sun had begun to rise. I had been tossing and turning the whole night, unable to escape my thoughts. Did I really fancy Sirius Black or was my mind only playing a really bad trick on me? He was immensely gorgeous, maybe I just confused the attraction for some deeper feelings? To be honest, I had never really experienced a boy noticing me before so I was probably having a bad reaction to all the attention I was suddenly receiving.

I decided to roll out of bed and put some clothes on, before the other girls woke up. Even though it was Saturday and I had every reason to sleep in for a few more hours, I knew from experience that Lily usually got up really early even on weekends. I didn't want to have to make awkward small talk with her, even though she from time to time could be somewhat pleasant to talk to. Well, she used to be nice before, when I had my _priorities straight_ at least. Ever since she belittled in front of the marauders in the Great Hall the other day I had been avoiding her and the other girls as much as I could.

All three girls were still sound asleep in their beds when I left the room, and I didn't even bother to check what time it was before I quickly snuck out. It took only a couple of minutes before I found myself down in the Great Hall. It was close to empty, there were only a few other students and less than a handful of teachers scattered around the empty tables. I sat down by one of the tables closest to the entrance and poured myself a cup of coffee. I closed my eyes and let the cup rest just below my lips, inhaling the warm scent from the musky coffee beans.

It didn't take long before someone interrupted my moment of peace and quiet, as I could glance how someone sat down across from me. When I opened my eyes I saw Remus Lupin staring at me, and my lips instantly formed in to a wide smile.

"Good morning, Remus," I said and sat my cup of coffee down on the table.

"Good morning," he replied while smiling back at me. I noticed how he looked really tired. His whole body seemed weaker and he had large bag under his eyes. He usually had such great posture, but now he looked slumped and beaten.

"Are you feeling well?" I asked him.

When he inhaled deeply and avoided eye-contact I was quick to regret my curiosity.

"I'm fine, just tired," he replied while pouring himself a cup of tea.

I didn't ask anymore about the matter. I barely knew the guy and whatever was going on wasn't my business.

I cleared my throat nervously. The silence between us felt so awkward. I wanted him to say something, anything at all, but he didn't seem to be bothered sitting there all quiet. I couldn't figure out why I felt so uncomfortable; silence was my friend. I had lived in silence half my life, and it had never bothered me before.

I suddenly came up with the greatest idea to lighten the mood. _Or so I thought._

"I know your secret, Remus," I said and smiled brightly, feeling like a genius for being able to tease him about the marauder's map that I had been introduced to last night. Remus head flew up and he stared at me panicked. He looked as if he was about to have a seizure.

It wasn't exactly the reaction I had expected so I had to suppress a loud laughter when I saw his face. Sure, him being a prefect would get in to a lot of trouble if a teacher found out about the map, so I understood why he would feel a bit nervous. But he must know that I wouldn't tell anyone about it.

"Raina, h-how did you…" He stuttered."How d-did you find out?"

I heard myself snorting in an unflattering manner, not being able to hold back the laughter anymore. "Sirius showed me last night," I giggled.

When I noticed how his expression changed drastically, from looking like he wanted to cry to instead being filled with anger, I stopped laughing. I felt a huge lump starting to grow in my throat and I tried to swallow it down nervously.

Making jokes wasn't something I was known for, why had I thought this one would turn out great, then? _You're so stupid, Raina,_ I cursed myself.

"Sirius?" Remus hissed through gritted teeth, his jaw clenched together firmly. " _Sirius_ told you?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but found myself unable to form the right words to respond. A million thoughts ran through my mind, and I felt my pulse pulsating nervously. Had Sirius not been allowed to show the map to anyone? Had he assumed that I wasn't going to tell the others of what I knew? Had I just completely broken his trust?

"I-I'm sorry Remus, h-he probably didn't think you w-would care," I managed to say, looking around nervously to see how many people would be witnesses to my potential execution.

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be slain at the hands of Remus Lupin. A prefect! But judging by how his eyes burned dark with anger, he sure seemed to want to kill _someone_. And sitting across from him, I felt like the perfect target at the moment.

I sighed and closed my eyes, surprisingly relaxed, as I awaited my doom. I could see the inscription on my tomb stone – _Here lies Raina Thomson; ignored by many, beloved by few; died young because of her own stupidity_.

"Didn't think I would care? I can't believe he would do this to me." I heard Remus mumble in a desperate tone.

His voice pulled me away from my thoughts and made me open one eye. I saw how his elbows were resting at the table and he had his face covered in his palms. When he finally looked up at me, I nervously stared down at my lap to avoid eye-contact.

One week. That's how long my friendship with the marauder's had lasted. _Fantastic_ job, Raina.

"And now you probably hate me and never want to speak with me again," he muttered and sighed.

My eyes shot back up at him. What on earth was he talking about?

"Uhm…" I breathed. "Of course not, I find it to be genius, Remus," I told him.

Remus stared at me with an expression I couldn't really read. I wasn't sure if he was still angry, sad or relieved.

"Genius?" He repeated hesitantly.

"It's a map of the castle, showing every person and every room in it. I would have never come up with an idea like that. And even if I did, I wouldn't even have known _how_ to create it," I said.

He seemed out of words, confused even. His eyebrows furrowed over his eyes. "The map? The marauder's map? Sirius told you about the marauder's map?"

I merely nodded my head carefully.

What happened next I couldn't even explain if I wanted to. Remus broke out laughing, reaching for my hands and grinning wide at me.

"Of course he showed you the map!" He exclaimed, his chuckles echoing loudly through the Great Hall.

"So, you-you're not mad at me? Or at him for showing it to me?" I asked quietly, not sure of what reaction I would be getting from him by now.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted, Raina. It's, well, I thought you were speaking of something completely different, and it…" He seemed to struggle for the right words. "You took me by surprise, that's all. I'm far from upset with either of you", he told me and squeezed my hands.

"Can we just start this whole morning over?" He asked me and gave me an apologetic smile.

 _Uhm, sure Remus, I would have to get a lobotomy before I could even begin to forget about this moment._

Before I had a chance to reply he had changed the subject quickly and started talking about our homework for Advanced Arithmancy that was due on Tuesday. I smiled back at him but wondered what other secret he assumed that I had been talking about.


	10. The Duel

**Thank you for all the reviews/follows/favs on the last chapter! It makes me so happy and motivated to see that some people like this story :)**

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It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we were spending our last day of freedom by the lake before another exhausting week of classes would begin. I watched James casually playing with his golden snitch while laying on his back, soaking in the sunlight. Sirius was annoying Peter by magically pulling the poor lads robes over his head time and time again. Remus was quietly reading a book, his back leaned against a tree.

I smiled and leaned the weight of my body back on elbows. I had started to feel more and more comfortable around the marauder's, even though I had seen Remus Lupin show an unexpected explosive temper just a little over a day ago. He hadn't brought it up with me, and I had a strong sensation that he hadn't mentioned anything about it to the other boys as well, so I had decided to not think about it that much. I wasn't one to hold on to a grudge. I felt how I could relax more around the boys, even make fun of them like they all did to each other. And just last night, I decided to write my father and tell him about my new friends. Because that's what they were to me now – _friends_. At least they acted like what I felt genuine friends would act like.

"Oi, mates," Sirius suddenly said, his eyes fixated over my left shoulder.

When I turned around I saw a dark haired boy walk by. He seemed to notice the five of us sitting there just as I had turned around, and I could see how he grimaced displeased.

"Snivellus!" James shouted mockingly, and that's when I realized who it was. Severus Snape, a boy from Slytherin whom I had seen the marauder's duel plenty of times during my years at Hogwarts.

He seemingly walked closer towards us and I could see how his eyes were dark with hatred as he stared at James.

The four boys were all quick getting up on their feet, and I was following them closely behind.

"About to go shower for the first time this year, grease ball? Don't let us stop you," James egged him and scoffed.

"I'd rather be a grease ball than befriend every single mudblood at the school like you, you vermin," Severus hissed and briefly glanced at me.

Did he just call me a _mudblood_? Rude.

"What did you just say?" Sirius growled.

James on the other hand seemed like he didn't care to wait around for an explanation.

" _Furnunculus!_ " He shouted through is gritted teeth just as a bright red jinx escaped his wand and hit Severus Snape right between his eyes. Severus swiftly covered his face with his hands just as I saw pimple-like boils growing rapidly on his skin. They quickly grew bigger and bigger, covering every inch of the boy's face.

Both James and Sirius burst out laughing, while Remus looked indifferent and Peter chuckled nervously. I stared at the four of them, not quite sure what to think or feel. Granted, Severus had just called me a mudblood so I shouldn't really pity him, but I had never been the reason for someone to be jinxed. I wasn't even a muggle so the comment didn't bother me that much, even though it was a dreadful thing to call someone – muggle-born or not.

Severus Snape clearly didn't like being defeated, as I suddenly saw him point his wand straight at James and yelling, " _Flipendo!_ "

"James, watch out!" I shouted warning him and it made him barely dodge the purple curse that was coming towards his chest in time; instead it hit his hand and made the golden snitch fly right in my direction.

"Raina, catch the snitch!" James urged me when he saw his most prized possession darting away from him, seemingly more concerned with the possibility of losing a little golden ball than the fact that he just got jinxed by Severus Snape. _Typically boys._

I genuinely couldn't care less if the snitch disappeared forever or not, but seeing the desperate look on James face made my body react faster than I thought possible. My legs scurried to the right and just as the little piece of golden metal was about to fly past me, I reached my arm up high and felt my fingers grasp around it; its golden, frantic wings tickling my hand pleasantly.

When I turned around with a pleased smile plastered on my face, I saw all the boys stare at me, jaws dropping towards the ground. Even Severus Snape stared at me with a somewhat impressed look on his face, before he seized the opportunity to hastily escape from his tormentors.

The golden snitch started to steadily ease in my hands, before relaxing its wings completely.

"You're welcome," I said and reached my hand towards James, prepared to return the toy.

He didn't take it though, instead he gave Sirius a look of revelation.

"Padfoot!" He said, still ignoring how I tried to give his golden snitch back to him.

"I know!" Sirius exclaimed, grinning towards me brightly.

"This must be a sign," James continued.

"You're absolutely right, mate," Sirius said.

"We'll still have a chance for it," James said, grinning widely with his eyes locked on mine.

Sirius nodded in agreement. "For a third time!"

I stared at the two boys confused. _What on earth were they babbling about?_ They must have found some sort of way to read each others minds.

"Raina…" James started saying.

 _Finally one of them might start making sense._

"…you're perfect!" Sirius exclaimed.

I felt my face getting warmer and my cheeks starting to blush. Did Sirius Black just say that I was _perfect_?

"Uhm, thank you?" I said hesitantly, looking around nervously to see both Remus and Peter observing the scene in front of them looking quite amused.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Your _reflexes._ I meant that your reflexes are perfect."

"You have to be Gryffindor's new seeker this season!" James announced before I barely had a chance to feel the disappointment flood over me. Of course Sirius Black wouldn't think _I_ was perfect…

"Uhm," I started, but was abruptly interrupted.

"Good, it's settled. I'll cancel the try-outs. Practice begins on Thursday," James contently said.

All of the boys were grinning widely at me and I couldn't even begin to digest what had just occurred.

So I was the new seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team? How the hell did this happen?

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 **A/N - Ok so first I'd like to point out that I know this chapter is a tad short, I promise they'll get longer. And second - I LOVE Snape, he's one of my favourite characters. But for this story you need to keep in mind that he hates the marauders and they hate him, and he has no feelings whatsoever for Raina, that's why that little conversation happened the way it did. Hope all you fellow Snape-fans can forgive me for how he's portrayed at the moment!**

 **Remember to review to let me know what you think!**


	11. The Game

**Hello everyone! I apologize deeply for not giving this story the attention it deserves! I do hope some of my readers are still out there, and I hope you'll like this chapter. It's a bit on the longer side compared to the others - take it as an apology for me being the worst updater in the history of fan fictions!**

 **Let me know what you think after reading! And if you have any thoughts on what you want to happen, don't be afraid to share them :)**

 **Remember to review!**

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My fingers clenched the cold, white porcelain washbasin hard as I stared at my own reflection in the mirror in front of me.

I looked dreadful. Absolutely horrible.

Small pearls of sweat decorated my forehead and my already pale face looked even paler, almost transparent. All of my nervous sweating had made my blonde hair stick uncomfortably to my neck. I breathed heavily and felt that I might as well stand there, with my hands clasping a dirty washbasin, for the rest of my damned life if I could.

Sounds of loud thumps, people yelling and horns blowing were filling the small lavatory and it only made me freak out more.

I felt my stomach starting to uproar, and my head instinctively shot down toward the washbasin as the small portion of food I had managed to eat for breakfast decorated the white surface. The sour taste of gall was the only thing I could feel when I retched again.

I turned on the faucet just as someone knocked loudly on the door.

"Skippy, are you alright in there? It's go-time!" I heard James Potter say.

I took a deep breath and turned to stare at the locked door.

The thumps and cheers from the Quidditch arena above me turned louder and louder.

 _Nope, not going out there. Over my dead body._

"I can't do it James, I'm sorry!" I yelled. I could hear the embarrassingly high-pitched, nervous tone in my voice, but I didn't care about how I sounded or what they would think about me.

I saw how someone, probably James, jerked at the locked doorknob.

"Just open the door, Skip, you'll do fine!" James urged me.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. Out of all the nicknames I could have gotten, Skippy was probably the worst. This past month I had been called everything from Skip to Skipper and Skimpy.

"I'm not playing, Potter!" I shouted at the door, surprised to hear that my voice sounded more determined and confident all of a sudden.

I heard a loud bang at the door. I genuinely hoped that James had decided to hit his daft head against it.

"Padfoot, I need some help over here, we got ourselves a deserter!" I heard how James called out for his friend.

I sighed and stared at the closed door, debating for a second whether to pull it open and slap James across his face or not. Like calling me a _deserter_ would make me more open to the idea of entering the quidditch field?

 _Tosser._

"What's all the fuss about, mate?" I heard a muffled sound from the other side of the door.

"She has completely lost the plot, Padfoot, going on about not playing this game," I heard James explain to Sirius.

"Are you _seriously_ calling me crazy, James Potter? It was your brilliant idea to put me in this stupid quidditch uniform in the first place!" I shouted.

"You can't back out on us, love, we need you today. Now open the door and come out!" I heard Sirius say gently, followed by some light taps on the door.

"But don't you ever insult the uniform again!" James was quick to add.

I had to stop myself from bursting out in chuckles when I heard James upset voice. The moment when he had provided me with my very own Gryffindor quidditch uniform played like a short movie in my head.

' _You wear this uniform with pride, Raina Thomson. From now on I expect you to treat it like your most valued possession!'_

The memory was quickly replaced with fear as the sound of hundreds of students cheering pressed against my eardrums.

"I can't do it! This is possibly the worst idea the lot of you has ever had, you have to play the game without me," I told them while breathing heavily. My eyes were still fixated on the door, and I was terrified that the two of them would break it down any second.

"You'll do fine!" Sirius tried.

"No."

"Just come out," he tried again.

"No!" I yelled, more determined this time.

"Blimey, Raina!" Sirius suddenly shouted and banged the door loudly. "Don't make us use magic to get in there. I am not kidding when I say that I will run up to the teacher's stands and vividly explain to professor McGonagall, Gryffindor's biggest quidditch supporter may I add, that the reason for me needing my wand is because of the fact that our only seeker for the season refuses to participate in the game. And then I will Alohomora your pretty arse out of there and tie you to your broom if I have to!" He added, sounding quite frustrated.

I stood in silence and stared at the closed door, wondering intensely if he was serious or not. If I had been nervous about playing this game before, it was nothing compared to the nervy feeling I had about Sirius making good on his promise.

"That was a nice speech, mate," I heard James whisper to his friend.

Darn it. It _was_ a nice speech.

I took a deep breath and reached one of my hands out to unlock the door.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Sirius said with a smirk just as I had swung the door open.

I breathed heavily and felt how a few drops of sweat made their way down my temples.

"I hate you both," I mumbled and the two knob head's stared at me pleased. "And I just threw up a couple of minutes ago. Twice."

The boys stared at me with uneasy looks on their faces.

I don't really know why I felt the urge to share that little detail, actually. I guess my word vomit skills were just as good as my actual vomit skills today.

"Everything will be fine," James said sweetly and held out my broom for me to grab. "As long as you catch the snitch!"

I grabbed the broom hesitantly while staring furiously at the boys.

"If I die today, I swear by Merlin's beard that I will come back as a ghost and torment the two of you for the rest of your lives!" I hissed and started to walk away. "Peeves will be remembered as a sweet little kitten compared to me!"

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The crowd nearly erupted in flames as both teams started to enter the field. Cheering, yelling, clapping loudly. Banners in red and gold were flying wild on one side of the arena, while the other side was decorated completely in green and silver.

It was an unusually warm mid-October day, nearly not a single cloud decorated the sky. The soft breeze was a welcome surprise compared to all the rain and bluster I had been forced to practice in for the last couple of weeks.

I swallowed nervously while looking to my right. There Slytherin's seeker John Avery sent me a vile glare. He beat me in height, strength and experience and I couldn't for the life of me understand why James Potter thought I would stand a chance against that guy.

I nearly tripped over my own feet when Avery mothed some nasty words towards me. Had it not been for Sirius grabbing me by my collar and pulling me back up I would have completely fallen flat on my face.

"Shut everything out, nothing can exist except you and the golden little snitch. Just imagine yourself being alone out there, okay?" I heard Sirius whisper behind me. I felt shivers crawling up my spine as his breath tickled my neck.

I'm all alone. I can do this.

"AND HERE THEY COME, GRYFFINDOR BEING LED OUT BY CAPTAIN JAMES POTTER, HIS FELLOW CHASERS FABIAN AND GIDEON PREWETT FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND. SLYTHERIN'S CAPTAIN EMMA VANITY MIGHT HAVE LOST THE TITLE TO POTTER LAST YEAR, BUT BOY DOES SHE LOOK LIKE SHE'S READY FOR REVENGE!" A voice shout down the cheers.

Leon Jordan, a seventh year in Gryffindor, stood tall in the stands holding a large microphone in his hands. Evidently he had been able to keep his job as the Quidditch commentator, even though everyone at the school could agree on that he always favoured the Gryffindor team whenever there was a game. Last year going as far as spending the entire game between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw commenting on how magnificent the Gryffindor players were that season.

"WILL VANITY BE ABLE TO DO A BETTER JOB GUARDING THE GOAL POSTS THIS YEAR? _OH DON'T STARE AT ME LIKE THAT PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL, I'M ASKING A LEGIT QUESTION!_ "

Loud laughs could be heard from the gold and red covered stands, while the Slytherin fans erupted in loud boo's.

"GRYFFINDOR'S KEEPER MARLENE MCKINNON IS ENTERING THE FIELD, WHAT A PERFECT LOOKING GIRL SHE IS. I LOVE YOU MCKINNON! YOU HEAR ME? I LOVE YOU! PLEASE LET ME TAKE YOU TO HOGSMEADE NEXT WEEKEND!"

More laughs erupted from Gryffindor's stands, and I saw how Marlene's face turned a dark shade of red.

" _OUCH! ALRIGHT PROFESSOR, I GET IT!_ "

I almost started laughing along with my fellow house mates as I could only imagine the angry look on McGonagall's face. But my sudden feeling of joy didn't last very long…

"AND HERE COMES GRYFFINDOR'S NEW SEEKER, RAINA THOMSON! OH YOU GORGEOUS LOOKING GIRL, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?"

I felt like dying right then and there. How could I, Raina Thomson - the queen of invisibility, land in this predicament? Just a month ago only a handful of students knew my name, and now I had Leon Jordan introduce my name in the most embarrassing manner possible in front of the entire school.

Sirius Black laughed loudly behind me, and it made me snap back to reality.

"THOMSON IS FOLLOWED BY BEATERS SIRIUS BLACK…" I swear the female part of the crowd, both Gryffindor and Slytherin, became several decibels noisier. "…AND EWAN WELLS!"

Jordan had spent the entire walk-in introducing basically nothing but Gryffindor players, and I saw the irritated looks the Slytherin team shot us.

" _YES OF COURSE, PROFESSOR._ SLYTHERIN HAS DECIDED TO KEEP LUCINDA TALKALOT, EVAN ROSIER AND STUART ROSS AS CHASERS. MARK MULCIBER AND WILBUR CRABBE WILL TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS BEATERS, FRANKLY THEY WOULD BE BETTER OFF BEATING EACH OTHER, THOSE UGLY TOADS. _OUCH! COME ON PROFESSOR, THAT WAS CLEARLY A JOKE!_ OH, AND JOHN AVERY IS STILL SLYTHERIN'S SEEKER. I PRAY FOR YOU RAINA THOMSON, I WOULDN'T GO UP AGAINST THAT GUY EVEN IF SOMEONE PAYED ME TEN GALLEONS!"

John Avery glanced at me with a pleased look on his face and I wanted to turn around and run out of the stadium.

This was it. This was definitely how I was going to die.

A loud whistle was blown, and I saw how everyone mounted their brooms and took off. I was quick to follow, flying up high. I kept ascending higher and higher, making sure I was as far away as I could from the two bludgers that had started to shoot across the field.

"ROSIER HAS THE QUAFFLE STEADY IN HIS ARMS, AND HE'S SORING, DODGING A PERFECTLY NICE SHOT BLUDGER FROM BLACK, HE'S COMING CLOSER TOWARDS THE GOAL POSTS! COME ON MCKINNON BLOCK HIM! AND HE SHOOTS! DAMN IT, TEN POINTS FOR SLYTHERIN!" The green and silver part of the arena exploded in cheers.

James looked severely displeased, clearly not expecting Slytherin to score this close to the start.

Both teams kept on scoring. James scored twenty points, Fabian Prewett scored ten points, Marlene blocked several attempts from the Slytherin chasers, just to let Evan Rosier and Stuart Ross score ten points each in the matter of seconds.

I had barely moved from my safe place high above the arena, but my whole body was aching and my head felt like a thick mess. I had never been more on edge in my entire life. Merely ten minutes of the game had passed but it had certainly been some eventful minutes. The Slytherin team played really dirty, to say the least. Both Mulciber and Crabbe excessively elbowed every player of the Gryffindor team every chance they got, even going as far as Mulciber hitting Gideon Prewett in the back with his bat, something the referee completely missed. Sirius was quick to respond with hitting a bludger in Mulicbers direction, making him almost fall off his broom.

But during these ten minutes I had not spotted the golden snitch once. Granted, I wasn't really moving around to _try_ to spot it, but I was scanning the field excessively from my safe position above the stands.

"JAMES POTTER HAS THE QUAFFLE, FLYING TOWARDS THE GOAL POSTS, CAN HE DO IT? CAN HE SCORE? _OH COME ON!_ A BLUDGER SENT FROM CRABBE GOT POTTER DROPPING THE QUAFFLE. IT'S PICKED UP BY TALKALOT WHO FLIES PAST WELLS, AND SHE SCORES. SLYTHERIN TAKES THE LEAD WITH FORTY POINTS AGAINST THIRTY. I SWEAR TO MERLIN, POTTER, GET YOU TEAM TO WIN THIS GAME!" Leon Jordan shouted from the stands. I could see his wild hand gestures from above, and his big afro bopping violently as he kept commenting the game with, what seemed like, his entire body.

And that's when I saw it. Something glimmering right by one of Slytherin's goal posts. I looked around to see if Avery had seen it yet, but he was flying blindly around by Slytherin's stands, clearly aiming his attention more towards the fans cheering his name. He was closer to the snitch, much closer, and both Mulciber and Crabbe was flying around close to the goal posts as well. Granted, other players weren't supposed to interfere with a seeker, but with the way Mulciber and Crabbe were playing I was sure they wouldn't follow that rule.

I took a deep breath and aimed my broom toward the golden, glittering ball. It was a suicide mission, for sure.

As my broom accelerated toward the goal posts, I held my breath. I flew past Avery, who was quick to follow me when he saw that I had my eyes set for something.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WHAT IS THAT? THOMSON IS AIMING FOR SOMETHING! IS IT THE SNITCH? IS IT A DIVERSION? AVERY IS FLYING JUST INCHES BEHIND, LOOKING FOULER THAN I HAVE EVER SEEN!" Jordan's voiced echoed in the arena. Either everyone in the crowd fell silent, or I had finally been able to do what Sirius told me to do before – block everyone out. The snitch was just a few feet in front of me, just hovering right in the same place where I had spotted it a few seconds earlier. It started to move, flying away, and I was quick to follow. I felt Avery creeping closer, his broom colliding in to mine, trying to throw me off balance. I took a sharp turn with my broom, reached out my arm and-

"THOMSON CAUGHT THE SNITCH! RAINA THOMSON CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR HAS WON THE GAME! SUCK ON THAT SLYTHERIN!"

I looked down at my right hand, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The golden snitch was flickering peacefully in my palm.

I could only imagine the crowd cheering loudly, but I couldn't hear any of it. All I heard was the silent flaps of the wings on the small golden ball I held in my hands.

My heart was beating rapidly as I looked around. People dressed in gold and red were jumping violently and clapping their hands in the stands, and my team members were all bumping their fists in to the air.

As my eyes locked on to Sirius', I had to stop myself from fainting. His beautiful grey eyes were staring at me with happiness, pride and…affection?

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	12. The Party

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Having Gryffindor taking a first step towards winning the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup apparently generated in having a huge party thrown in the common room. There seemed to be unlimited bottles of knotgrass mead, beetroot wine, Simison Steaming stout and firewhisky being handed around. Everyone was in such a great mood; cheering, dancing, singing and celebrating. And people all of a sudden knew my name. They talked to me, greeted me, and behaved as if we had been nothing but good friends for all the years that I had attended this school. But even with all of that happening, I couldn't help but feel completely alone. I stood in a room filled with people radiating nothing but happiness and pure excitement, but I had never felt lonelier.

With a quiet breath I turned to my right and saw the Prewett brothers, Fabian and Gideon, standing on a table in front of the fire place, swinging around a bottle of firewhisky while laughing loudly. It made me smile genuinely. While lingering with my eyes for a few seconds at them, I saw James and Sirius standing a few feet next to them. They were talking with two girls, seemingly enjoying themselves. I saw how James shifted his body a little, straightening his back to throw Lily Evans a love-stricken glare where she was standing talking to Remus. When James moved his body I could see more clearly which the girls they were talking to. Sarah Asher and Andrea Lee – my _oh-so-lovely_ roommates.

I sighed, but couldn't tear my glance away from them. Andrea Lee flipped her long and shiny dark hair in a way that even made _my_ knees feel weak and seemed to giggle loudly at something the boys said. She placed a hand on Sirius shoulder and smiled flirtatious at him. My heart started to beat faster and I silently tried to curse her from where I stood, sincerely hoping her hair would catch on fire.

 _Wait!_ What in Merlin's name am I thinking? I'm a pacifist, darn it. And James and Sirius were aloud to talk to anyone they wanted, I shouldn't really care about that.

Boy did I feel thankful for us not having learnt silent charms yet.

"Raina!" Marlene McKinnon walked up to me, thankfully pulling me back to reality.

"Hi Marlene," I said and smiled.

I took a big gulp of my glass filled with mead, definitely wishing that it had been spiked with something much stronger. I shouldn't be left alone with my thoughts. Too dangerous. Too weird.

"You did a really good job today, I have never seen someone catch the snitch that fast in all of my years playing," she beamed.

Everyone had been complementing me on my achievement the whole night, but I still couldn't get used to it. I felt my cheeks heat up at Marlene's words.

"I was standing right in your shoes just two years ago. It's a weird feeling, right?" Marlene said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, quidditch. I remember the first game I ever played our fourth year. I managed to keep Hufflepuff from not scoring a single point, granted all of their top chasers were in the hospital wing down with the flu. But playing for the team can certainly make you in to some sort of hero, from being a complete nobody to everyone all of a sudden being your best friend," she explained.

I gave her a curious look, and she suddenly looked as if she had just swallowed a piece of vomit-flavoured Bertie Bott's.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't mean it like that! Not that you're a nobody, just… That's not what I meant! Quidditch is… The attention-" She started blurting, clearly struggling to find the right words.

I started laughing at her, and it seemed to make her ease a bit.

"I get what you were trying to say, Marlene. And yes, it's a weird feeling," I agreed which made her smile.

A loud shriek-like laugh caught my attention, and my eyes instinctively glanced over at where Sirius and James were standing. Sarah and Andrea seemed to double-over from laughter, while James and Sirius chuckled.

"He's something, huh?" Marlene said.

"Who?" I asked, still gazing towards James and Sirius.

"Black." I heard her say, and my attention shifted. I stared at Marlene who was grinning widely at me.

"What do you mean?" I enquired nervously.

What _did_ she mean? She couldn't know how I felt, right? I didn't even know how I really felt myself.

"Just look at him, he has every girl at this school wrapped around his bloody fingers," Marlene explained. She too stared towards the boys with a peculiar look on her face.

"So… Have you two… You know?" I asked cautiously. I couldn't help but feel like I was over-stepping, sticking my nose where it didn't belong, but Marlene had intrigued me too much.

"Oh Merlin, no!" She laughed. "I did have the biggest crush on him our fourth year, but there is something about him that makes him too oblivious to notice stuff like that. It's like he can't see or doesn't care about how girls fawn over him."

I looked at Marlene curiously, taking in every word she said.

"I honestly thought he might be gay for a while, but then one day during Quidditch practice I overheard James and Sirius talking about a muggle girl he'd been snogging over the summer," Marlene kept on telling me. "I think he just hasn't found the right girl yet. He's waiting for someone to really spike his interest."

I smiled to myself and finished drinking up the last content of my mug, trying to ignore the inquiring smirk Marlene shot at me.

"Let's go get refills!" She said and hooked one of her arms onto mine.

She led me towards where Fabian and Gideon Prewett were dancing around and threw her empty plastic mug right at Gideon's head, catching his attention.

"Oi, Gid'! You gonna hog that bottle of firewhisky all night or could we get a taste?" She shouted with a huge grin plastered on her face.

Gideon rubbed his head gently before throwing the bottle in our direction. Marlene caught it smoothly, and I was glad that Gideon had had the curtesy of popping the cork back in to the bottle before throwing it at us.

"Drink up, ladies!" He beamed.

Marlene took a giant swig and grimaced before placing the bottle in my hands. I stared at the glass bottle hesitantly. I had never tasted firewhisky before, my father had never even allowed me one sip of the beverage. He would definitely throw a fit if he saw me now.

I took a deep breath before placing the tip of the bottle against my lips, tipping it slightly and letting the lukewarm fluid fill my mouth. When I swallowed a burning sensation went though my throat and quickly filled every vein in my body.

Marlene grinned at me before taking another gulp of the beverage. "It's good, isn't it?" She said. I nodded my head and gladly accepted the bottle once again.

The pleasantly burning sensation yet again filled my veins. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why there had to be an age limit for drinking firewhisky. My judgement felt completely unhindered.

Suddenly a pair of warm fingers grabbed my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine and I spun around to see Sirius Black grinning at me.

"Slow it down there, love," he said and snatched the bottle out of my hand. "As much as I'd like to see you plastered tonight, I'd certainly prefer you still being alive in the morning."

"We're celebrating!" I pouted and reached out to try take back what he stole from me. My arms gently grazed his as I tried to reach for the bottle.

I wondered if he got the same feeling in his stomach by our touch.

"And celebrate you shall, love!" James Potter said as he had also joined us, his breath reeking of alcohol. He gave me a huge grin as he patted his friend on his back adamantly. "Now give the gal' back her whisky, Padfoot. She's the main reason for this celebration!"

Sirius reached his arm out. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

I puffed my chest out, trying to appear strong. Independent. "I think I've already led my sixteen years of life pretty darn well without your warnings, _Big_ foot!"

James burst out laughing.

"I see what you did there, Skippy. Padfoot, Bigfoot. That's real cute," Sirius said with a smirk.

If they were aloud to rename me, then I couldn't see any reason for me not giving them a taste of their own medicine.

"It's brilliant, that's what it is!" James shouted and pointed one of his index fingers in the air, making a triumph-like gesture. He swayed a bit on his feet, looking around at us with a content face, before his eyes fixated at something else.

"Oh what I wouldn't do to be in Moony's shoes right now," James slurred and threw his arms out despondently. "Why won't Evans give me that kind of attention?" He added, asking the rest of us.

I glanced over at Remus and Lily, standing some bit away from us, seemingly arguing.

"She doesn't look too happy, mate," Sirius said.

He was right, she looked quite mad.

"Lily's been scolding and interrogating Lupin for the past half hour," Gideon Prewett cut in and grinned. "Not too happy 'bout the alcohol, I've heard!" He raised a bottle of knotgrass mead at us with a mischievous look on his face.

"See, you shouldn't want to trade places with Remus, James. Lily's _clearly_ nutters!" Marlene told him with a smile.

" _Beautiful_ , that's what she is!" James slurred and gave Marlene a threatening stare.

We all laughed at him.

"I think I'll go over there and cheer her up," he announced and disappeared in to the crowd before any of us had a chance to stop him.

"James Henry Potter, beloved son and friend, died before reaching the age of seventeen," Sirius chuckled as we all observed James making his way toward Lily Evans.

I let out a simple laugh. Everything that was happening around me felt so surrealistic, but I didn't feel as lonely anymore. I felt happy, genuinely happy.

And I couldn't wait to see James possibly getting slapped senseless by Lily Evans. _That_ would probably be the highlight of the evening.

I laughed louder even, almost choking on my drink, when Marlene was pulled up on the sofa table by the Prewett brothers. She looked like she enjoyed herself as she was cheering along with the music that filled the room, dancing next to the wild boys.

"Come up here!" She shouted at me and waved her arms for me to join her.

"No way!" I chuckled, shaking my head firmly.

Marlene merely shrugged her shoulders and continued singing along with the Prewetts. With the sudden feeling of happiness that had filled my body I had totally forgotten about the boy who was standing next to me, and I was completely unaware of how he was observing me. Until he all of a sudden spoke up.

"You should smile more, Skippy, it suits you." Sirius Black was smirking at me, his eyes shining.

My legs felt weak as he wouldn't stop eyeing me. I cleared my throat and tried to regain my posture. I didn't reply, but I couldn't stop smiling either. I took another sip of the bottle of firewhisky, but the burning feeling that had been spiralling down my spine when I took a drink before seemed to have lost its effects. Instead, all I felt was shivers. Constant shivers.

"You look different tonight." Sirius finally said after several seconds had gone by and none of us had uttered a word.

I gave him a curious look, taking another sip to try to dull my nerves. "Different? In what way?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders.

"You just seem relaxed, more off guard," he replied. His beautiful grey eyes were almost sparkling as he kept his gaze locked onto mine. I noticed how long and thick his eyelashes were, perfectly framing his intense eyes.

 _Relaxed? I was a nervous wreck!_

I cleared my throat.

"Should I be on my guard, then?" I asked.

His response lingered while he kept a smile playing on his lips. "No."

It was like the music had suddenly stopped, and everyone in the room disappeared. All I could see was the tall, gorgeous boy with perfect, lustrous black hair staring back at me, his striking grey eyes piercing my heart bit by bit.

Sirius broke his gaze for a few seconds, and he looked around the room as to see if someone was watching us. "Let's get out of here," he then said, and grabbed my arm gently.

"And go where?" I asked cautiously.

"I want to show you something."

He started leading me away from the party, towards the portrait hole, making me understand that what he wanted to show me was not somewhere in the common room.

My heart started beating faster as I followed Sirius out of the portrait hole, climbing out in to the dark and empty hallways, where no students were aloud to be past 11. But I couldn't care less about the risk of possibly getting caught. The idea of receiving another detention or two didn't matter. The boy who held a tight grip of my hand, silently leading me down the corridors, had completely intoxicated me. Or maybe it was the firewhisky? Either way, I realized that my common sense was _completely_ impaired at the moment.

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	13. The Surprise

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"Where are we going?" I asked for a second time when Sirius kept being secretive.

He led me down a couple of stairs and though a dark corridor. "You'll see."

"At least tell me that you brought _the thing_ ," I whispered. Sirius turned around and gave me an amused look.

"Oh you know, the map!" I hissed at him, when I realized that his imagination had travelled somewhere else.

He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Unfortunately no."

"Are you crazy? The map was a complete life-saver last time," I said nervously. "What if we get caught?"

He turned around and smirked at me. "Then we get caught."

I sighed, cursing the bad influence I let the marauders have on me. Especially this one particular marauder.

Sirius took my hands, making me stop walking, and gave me confident smile. "You just have to trust me, okay? Do you trust me?" He asked.

I stood still for a few seconds, gazing in to his beautiful eyes.

I nodded my head slowly.

"Good. Now just try to be quiet and let me surprise you," he said while smiling down at me.

"You're the only one making noise right now," I informed him with a whisper. His grin grew wider before it turned in to a pleasant chuckle.

Suddenly a voice caught our attention from down in the dark corridor.

"I heard it too, Mrs Norris! Students out of bed!" Mr Filch's raspy voice echoed.

Sirius looked nervous as he gazed down the corridor. He grabbed one of my hands and started leading me the other way.

 _If he'd been smart enough to bring the map with him, this situation would have been easily avoided…_

"Quick!" He hissed just as he opened a dodgy looking door and pushed me inside. He closed the door behind him softly after he had squeezed his own body inside.

My body was pressed tightly against his and every inch of me was trembling nervously. I prayed that he wouldn't notice how my heart was beating faster and faster, practically shooting out of my chest. I could barely even move my arms in the tiny closet Sirius had led us in to.

It was too dark for me to make out whatever expression he had on his face, so I decided to close my eyes instead, carefully breathing in the musky scent of his cologne. I could stand there for days, weeks even, just panting quietly with our bodies pressed close to each other.

Suddenly, I felt quite happy that he had forgot to bring the map.

"This is somewhat of a déjà vu," Sirius whispered all of a sudden, undoubtedly referring to this not being the first time we were in this type of predicament. I felt his hand carefully grazing my waist, sending jitters to my stomach. I wondered if it was a deliberate movement or not.

"I don't hear Mr Filch's footsteps anymore." I managed to whisper even though my breath was practically caught in my chest.

"Me neither," Sirius agreed.

But neither one of us moved. His body was still pressing against mine and his fingers were still dancing dangerously close to my waist. And that's when I felt it – his pulse had started to intensify just like mine.

"So this is what you wanted to show me?" I asked him sarcastically, with a hidden smile playing on my lips.

 _Honestly, I would be completely fine with this being the big surprise._

Sirius chuckled quietly before starting to move his body. His arm reached for the door. Before I knew it, he had stepped out and reached his hand out for me to follow him. "What I want to show you is much better," he said.

I felt a rush of disappointment flood over me as he uttered those words. _Much better._

"I wasn't complaining," I mumbled quietly under my breath when I followed him down the hallway. When Sirius turned his head and gave me an entertained smirk I realized that I had spoken way too loud. My face started to heat up and I avoided his curious stare.

We kept walking in silence as Sirius led me down to the bottom of the Grand Staircase. He stopped right when we reached a portrait of Percival Pratt, a curious looking wizard. Or was he a poet?

"This password is absurd," Sirius said silently to the man, who immediately swung his portrait open, revealing a narrow stairway.

 _What was it with Sirius Black and leading me in to hidden staircases?_

"After you," he whispered and gestured for me to step inside.

I hesitated for a few seconds before climbing in. It didn't take long before we reached the end of the stairs, making me understand exactly where Sirius was taking me.

I stepped onto the underground harbour. The rounded brick walls and wooden ceiling made the room appear like a triumphal arch where the end of the arch fell into the Great Lake. Small wooden boats were docked onto rocks, and another few boats were stored at the ceiling. There were only a few wooden beams to walk on, everything else there was just water.

"The Boathouse?" I asked and turned to stare at Sirius. He had a secretive look on his face.

"Just wait for it," he told me, and started leading me on the wooden beams towards the front of the Boathouse where the Great Lake lay peacefully. He sat me down on a thick plank before squatting down next to me. He then took out his wand and pointed it at the water, whispering something inaudible as a bright yellow light escaped the wand.

Within seconds, a mellow sound of dream-like singing filled the air, and hundreds of silver shimmers radiated from underneath the water.

I stared at the lake fascinated, drawn to the beautiful melody and striking lights.

"What is this?" I asked Sirius with my eyes still fixated at the water.

"It's the Merpeople singing, luring the Ramora fish to discharge the light of its silver skin," he told me.

I basked in the magnificence of the lake. "It's beautiful." I whispered.

"I know," he said. I turned my head slightly to glance at him, only to notice him staring intensely at me.

I took a deep breath. "Are you trying to impress me, Sirius Black?"

He smirked at me. "Maybe."

I let a few seconds of silence pass, contemplating what to say.

"Why?"

"Why am I trying to impress you?" He chuckled.

I nodded my head slowly, eager for him to say something. The air was dry and cold, and as I stared at him a faint smoke hit his perfect face every time I exhaled.

He smiled at me, and that warm feeling I got inside of me every time he looked at me the way he did now made me smile back. But he didn't respond to my question.

We sat in silence, watching the Ramoras lights slowly starting to disappear just as the Merpeople stopped their melodic singing. Even though the Great Lake fell dark and silent, lit up only by the stars in the sky, we kept looking out at the water; neither one of us saying anything.

"I will make you explain why you're trying to impress me, you know," I told him, breaking our intense silence. He looked at me pleased, a smile forming on his lips.

"I never said that I was trying to impress you," he whispered while staring at me intrigued.

And suddenly he was so close. I could feel the heat from his body and hear his heartbeat without us even touching each other. Everything else stopped existing, and all that was left was just him and me. I felt his hand on my back, and I could see him leaning closer.

 _Oh Merlin, was this really happening or was I somehow dreaming?_

His face was dangerously close to mine. He leaned in closer and our lips touched, and it was as if I had finally found the last piece of a puzzle and put it where it belonged. I didn't want our lips to separate. They belonged together, and we kissed as if we had never done anything else before.

I pulled back slowly, and looked deep in to his eyes.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, his fingers playing softly with my hair.

I nodded my head, unable to find any words to say. Actually, I wasn't sure if I was even able to speak at the moment. What I did know was that I missed the contact and how his lips made me feel complete. But we just sat there for a while, gazing in to each other's eyes until I reached up and grabbed the back of his head and pulled him back to me. I couldn't control myself. I needed more.

As our lips touched again, I felt his strong arms pull me up in his lap. His arms were wrapped around my small body, and I entwined my fingers with his dark hair. I had never felt more complete in my life as I did right there, melted together with Sirius Black.

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	14. The Morning

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It wasn't until the sun started to rise that I realized that we must have stayed there for hours. We were lying side by side in one of the small wooden boats docked by a rock in the water.

The kissing had eventually turned in to talking, which had eventually turned in to us silently staring at the sky, counting the stars above. After a while I had been scared to move, afraid that the beautiful boy lying next to me might have fallen asleep and would sober up and awake to something he might regret.

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat.

"We should get going," I whispered and leaned my head slowly to look at Sirius. My blonde hair was sprawled all over his chest. To my relief he seemed wide awake.

He smiled at me.

"People will talk." I stated.

He reached one of his hands up and gently touched my cheek. "So let them talk."

I sighed and started to push myself up on my elbows but Sirius was quick to pull me back down.

"You don't understand," I said. "The people who'll talk are the same people I have to share a bedroom with," I continued and gave him a meaningful stare. I placed my hands on his chest and started to push him off me gently.

He groaned in disappointment when I sat up and brushed a few strands of my blonde hair off my face.

"No one will talk, Skippy," Sirius said as he too sat up in the boat.

I stared at him suspiciously.

"Do you seriously not know how you're the centre of every girl's attention at this school?" I asked him.

He merely chuckled at me. "You're exaggerating!"

"And you're oblivious," I told him.

Sirius climbed out from the boat and easily put on his jumper that we had been using as a blanket for the past couple of hours. I gazed at him as he pulled the jumper over his head, his hair turning wild and ruffled. I instantly missed the intoxicating scent from the piece of clothing.

"So what will people be saying, then? That we kissed? If you haven't noticed, people kiss all the time at this school, it's not really interesting news," Sirius said and wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we started walking back towards the castle.

Apparently he didn't intend for us to walk back the same way that we entered, as he started leading me towards the quad.

I couldn't help but feel a sting of disappointment. Kissing Sirius Black was interesting news. To me at least. But hearing him describe it that nonchalantly brought me back to earth. He didn't care. It was just something casual that could have happened with any girl.

I took a deep breath and tried to bury my thoughts and my feelings far back in my head.

"If someone found out that we've been spending the night in the boathouse by ourselves they will probably assume that we've been shagging," I said, trying to sound like I didn't care either.

I felt my face involuntarily heat up as I uttered the words, half-expecting him to burst out laughing at me for being so naïve. But instead, a playful smile formed on his lips.

I elbowed his ribs.

He was _clearly_ imagining something incredibly dirty.

"Lies spread faster than the truth, you know!" I informed him.

Technically I didn't really know if lies spread faster than the truth, but at a school full of crazed teenagers it sure didn't seem too far-fetched.

He laughed while rubbing his side gently.

"I will personally tell every soul in this school that we weren't shagging tonight and that we never will, if that will make you feel better," he said.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're so romantic, Black." I sighed.

"Alright, so you _do_ want me to tell people that we've been shagging?" He asked me, still with that adorable yet annoying smile playing on his lips.

"Absolutely not!" I told him.

I took aim to elbow his ribs yet again, but he was quick to dodge my attempt and instead he chuckled loudly as we finally reached the entrance to the castle.

* * *

When the Fat Lady swung the portrait hole open and we climbed in to the common room, the first thing I saw was the three remaining marauders sitting by the fire place, laughing loudly and indulging in the last liquidly contents from the party. I wasn't sure exactly what time it was but since the sun had risen and the rest of the room was completely empty, I assumed that they must have been up drinking for hours. They seemed quite plastered.

"Ah, look who _finally_ decided to graze us with their presence!" Remus, who was the first to notice us, shouted.

Both James and Peter had their backs turned to the portrait hole, but at Remus announcement they both spun around quickly and cheered happily.

"We've been up waiting for you!" Peter chirped before hiccupping loudly.

"And we've come up with a masterful plan that needs to be executed _pronto_!" James exclaimed.

I turned to give Sirius a doubtful look. He only shrugged his shoulders and smirked at me before walking over to join his friends. I hesitantly followed him.

"Alright chap, let's hear this brilliant idea of yours," Sirius pressed. He was quick to sit down next to James, and I took a seat in front of them, squeezing myself down next to Remus.

"Well, Skippy here…" James started and gestured at me. "…hasn't really had a proper initiation to our group yet so we've-"

"Nope. I'm not going to be involved in anything that the three of you have come up with, for all I know it'll be the death of me!" I interrupted him and tried to stand up, but Remus was quick to grab a hold of the back of my sweater and pulled me back down again.

"Ssh!" He hushed, and held a finger up in front of his lips dramatically.

He reeked of alcohol. _What a great role-model that prefect-boy was…_

"So we were up all night thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and thinking…" James continued.

"You've been thinking, we get it," Sirius spoke, probably wanting James to finish his story sometime this year.

"And then we finally realized what separates us, the marauders, from the rest of the students at this school!" James exclaimed.

"That they have brains and you don't?" I remarked sarcastically.

" _Close_ , Skippy, very close but not quite right!" James said and smiled goofily. "It's that we've managed to befriend Peeves, a quest which no one in the history of mankind has ever managed to do before!" He continued saying in a swanky tone.

"And this involves me how?" I asked cautiously, fearing where this stupid idea of theirs was headed.

"Well, we only found it fair that you too should have to overcome that great victory," Remus told me with a huge grin.

"And then you'll be a marauder for real!" Peter shouted joyfully.

"I have to say that this indeed is a masterful plan, lads!" Sirius proclaimed.

I stared at Sirius Black. As the only other sober person in the room, I couldn't help but see him as a traitor.

"Okeydokey, it was nice knowing you guys, but I'm going to have to _respectfully_ decline your offer of becoming a marauder," I informed them and yet again tried to stand up from the couch, but it seemed Remus still had a firm hold of my sweater.

"You're doing it, Skips, right now," James chuckled.

I stared at the four boys who all were grinning wildly at me and silently cursed the day that James Potter bumped in to me in Diagon Ally.

* * *

 **Hope you weren't expecting a "happily-ever-after" kind of chapter after reading the last one... Having Sirius Black fall in love MIGHT take some time.**

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	15. The Poltergeist

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* * *

"No! Absolutely not!" I interjected as the four strong boys ushered from the last few steps of the grand staircase toward the history of magic classroom, where they apparently knew that Peeves the Poltergeist would be hanging out this time of day. "Come on guys, you can't make me ask that traitorous, malicious little goblin for something!" I pleaded.

"We'll be right outside if he decides to magically attack you with Snargaluff pods," James informed me with a pat on my shoulder.

"Or dungbombs!" Peter conveyed.

I stared at them, slightly terrified.

"You're not coming with me?" I hissed as the door to the classroom grew bigger and bigger the closer we got.

Remus merely laughed at me. "No, that would be cheating, since he already likes us!"

I grunted disapprovingly.

"Now get going, love, and remember not to say anything stupid. Peeves' mood is not to be reckoned with," Sirius urged me encouragingly just as we reached the door that lead in to the classroom.

I felt far from encouraged. I wanted to _murder_ the boys for making me do this.

After I hesitantly opened the door to the classroom and peeked my head inside, I saw Peeves floating around and putting thumbtacks on all the seats with a mischievous smile plastered on his face.

I took a deep breath and walked inside. "Hey Peeves?"

Peeves spun around and looked at me confused.

I forced myself to smile sweetly at him, all the while my heart was pounding of fear. And to my surprise, the tiny poltergeist smiled back at me.

He tried to hide a few thumbtacks behind his back, a feat he failed miserably at - considering he was transparent.

"Uhm..." I started, trying to find something to say to him. "I… I would like to ask you a favour," I finished.

I could hear the four marauders trying to suppress their laughter from the other side of the door.

"A favour?" The poltergeist repeated a bit skeptically and titled his head a little.

I cleared my throat and kept smiling sweetly at him, fearing he might attack me with Snargaluffs and dungbombs at any second if I made any sudden movements.

"How would you feel about throwing water balloons filled with paint at the Slytherin students?" I heard myself asking.

Oh Merlin, I had definitely spent too much time with the marauders… How could I even begin to suggest such an awful thing?

"Now?" Peeves asked and smiled deviously.

"At dinner," I suggested.

"Sounds like fun," Peeves established.

"So you'll help me?" I asked and he nodded his head eagerly. "Thank you, Peeves! I'll let you get back to what you were doing then."

He looked slightly embarrassed and if he could have, he probably would have blushed.

I slowly backed out of the classroom, still fearing that he might shift his mood and decide to attack me at any given second. When I closed the door behind me, I let out a breath of relief before turning around to have eight stunned eyes stare at me.

"Three years. _Three years_ it took us, and you succeeded on your first try!" James said with a dazed voice. "Why didn't we bring her along sooner?" He added and turned to his friends.

"I guess this makes me a far _better_ marauder than you guys, eh?"

I felt quite good about myself and I winked at the four boys before walking away with my head held high.

* * *

When I reached the common room I had hoped that I could go unnoticed straight to my bedroom to finally catch up on some well-needed sleep.

But it seemed _nothing_ wanted to go as I planned nowadays… Except for my masterful conversation with Peeves the Poltergeist. That certainly exceeded my expectations majestically.

Marlene McKinnon was slouched in one of the couches in front of the fire place, and when she caught me oh-so-gracefully climbing in from the portrait hole she shrieked loudly and waved at me to come join her.

"Raina!" She shouted.

I looked at her and quietly wished I had been wearing James invisibility cloak at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Marlene, but I was afraid that I might fall asleep standing at any moment. It had been a _long_ day.

I dragged my feet over to where she was sitting and greeted her with a smile.

"What have you been doing, missy?" Marlene asked me and giggled.

"Playing with Peeves", I told her truthfully and couldn't help but let out a quiet yawn.

I didn't really know how many details I was supposed to share with her. I didn't even know if she really counted as my friend.

"That sounds both dangerous and disgusting," she said and crinkled her nose. "And also incredibly dirty!"

I merely chuckled and sat down next to her in the sofa.

"So tell me about your night, last I saw you were seemingly enjoying yourself with the Prewett twins," I said to quickly change the subject.

"Well, if you replace the Prewett twins with Lean Jordan in that sentence, you might figure out how my night ended," Marlene reported. I noticed how she was trying to not smile brightly.

"Leon Jordan. Really?" I said and stared at her fascinated.

"Well, he's really good with… _words_ ," she said and this time, her face shone up goofily. I saw that her cheeks turned in to a soft shade of pink.

"Marlene McKinnon, what a perfect looking girl! I love you McKinnon, I love you!" I started imitated Leon from the game the day before.

Marlene started laughing.

"So I assume you'll let him take you to Hogsmeade next weekend, then?" I kept teasing her.

I couldn't quite explain it, but being in Marlene's company really made me ease up. Even though I had only known her for a short period of time, she sure did feel like a friend.

"Alright, alright! Now I've told you my embarrassing secret from last night. It's your turn to spill!" Marlene announced.

I sighed and looked at her. Was she a friend?

"Come on, I'm not going to believe that you were playing with that pig-faced poltergeist the whole night. I _did_ see you sneak off with Black, you know," she informed me.

"He took me to the boathouse," I told her, hoping she would be smart enough to fill in the rest.

"The boathouse?" She repeated. "What's so special about the boathouse?"

I sighed again. "He took me to the boathouse. To _snog_ ," I explained.

Marlene straightened her back and stared at me with an intrigued face.

"Raina Thomson snogging Sirius Black, now that's a sentence I could get used to saying!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

"Absolutely not!" I cried out.

She chuckled loudly. "I'm just kidding, Raina!"

My heart was pounding fast as a I stared at her. She looked like she was being honest about joking around.

"So were you the only one to see us sneak off, you think?" I asked after a few seconds of silence.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there was me… and probably half of the Gryffindor population who saw it," she told me while grinning.

I grunted loudly and let my head fall back in to the headrest.

 _Oh Merlin, what had I gotten myself in to?_


	16. The Attack

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* * *

We were all waiting for the dinner to begin. I was anxiously biting my finger nails as the Slytherin table kept filling up, dreading what was about to happen. After I got a few hours of sleep and could properly process what had happened in the last twenty-four hours, I realized what an incredible arse I was. Telling Peeves to throw paint-filled water balloons at the Slytherin students? _Really Raina?_

"Brilliant! Snivellus just sat down at the table!" James announced gleefully from where he sat across from me. I hesitantly turned around and saw how the ginormous table was almost completely filled.

"What have I done?" I breathed nervously.

Sirius laughed and threw an arm around my shoulders casually. "Don't worry about it, Skips, they'll only get what they deserve!"

I stared at him. "But how do they deserve it? They've never done anything to me!"

The fact that Sirius Black was squeezing my shoulder caringly didn't matter to me at this instance. I was WAY too nervous about what I had set in motion to have time to think about Sirius. I couldn't care less about his perfect face face smiling at me with his perfect lips. And his soft fingers gently gliding down my back.

 _Oh dear Lord, please don't let him stop._

"See it as a precautionary attack. There are probably plenty of future death eaters sitting there," he grinned. Unfortunately, his hand let go of my back.

And with that my conscience was back.

I shook my head at him despondently. "That's rubbish. Hogwarts is not a place for future death eaters."

"I heard the dark lord himself went to Hogwarts, actually," Peter told me matter-of-factly which made me shoot him a sceptical glance.

The dark lord being a former Hogwarts student? _Yeah, right…_

I turned my head slightly and saw a couple of fourth year Slytherin students take their seats and realized that they were the last people to sit down before the Great Hall was completely filled. Everyone was sitting where they should. All there was left to do now was to wait for Peeves entrance.

"I will definitely be expelled," I mumbled when all of the tables suddenly got decorated with enough food to feed an entire country. Grilled chicken, salads, beef stew, mashed potatoes, vegetables.

"You will not be expelled, there are far worse things that we've done, trust me!" James tried to reassure me while stuffing his face with food.

"Yeah? Like what?" I asked, but he didn't have much of a chance to reply since Peeves had decided to make his grand entrance. I did catch him share a peculiar look with the rest of the boys, though.

Peeves entry was far worse than I had imagined that it would be. He whooshed in with a high-pitched howl and yelled something that sounded like _'en garde!'_ before he started bombarding the Slytherin table with balloons. The students started shrieking and moving around hysterically, paint dripping from their heads and flooding the marble floor. They were all flashing of yellow, blue, orange and pink. Peeves showed no mercy.

A loud, blustering voice suddenly filled the hall.

"PEEVES! END THIS MADNESS!"

I saw Professor Dumbledore standing tall by the teachers table, his face twisted with anger.

When the malicious poltergeist glanced towards where I was sitting for a millisecond, I genuinely thought he was going to blame the entire charade on me.

I wanted to sink though the floor and be buried alive.

But Peeves didn't say anything about my involvement, instead he laughed loudly and shifted his arms as to aim towards the teachers table. Instantly, all the professors whipped out their wands simultaneously and pointed them at the bell-hat covered man.

"YOU CAN'T BANISH ME FROM THE SCHOOL, _DUMMY_ DORE!" Peeves shouted while hooting rebelliously before vanishing in a matter of seconds, his evil laugh still echoing in the hall.

Everyone was buzzing wildly, some Slytherin girls even crying hysterically, and I had a hard time processing what had just happened. And that it had happened because of me.

"Now that was a prank undoubtedly worthy of the marauders," James grinned at me.

I didn't know whether to be honoured or appalled.

"Blimey, Snivellus! You look darn good in pink!" Sirius howled mockingly when Severus Snape passed our table, head to toe covered in baby-pink paint. He merely shot Sirius a deadly stare before quickly marching out of the great hall.

"This was brilliant!" Remus chuckled, baring his pearly-white teeth in amusement.

All of a sudden, a piece of parchment fell down on the table, right between Sirius and me. The letter was folded and I stared at the four boys warily. I hesitated for a few seconds before picking it up and unfolding it. I immediately recognized the handwriting. It was the same handwriting that had graced a very special letter I had received just over five years ago. I had memorized every word of that letter. My invitation letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

I cleared my throat and started reading aloud. " _Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew. Kindly finish your dinner and see me at my office instantly. I strongly suspect that Peeves behaviour this evening wasn't a coincidence. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore._ "

I looked up from finishing reading the letter and noticed how the four boys didn't look as amused anymore. And I quickly realized that my name hadn't been mentioned in the letter either.

"Oh this is rubbish! For once we had _almost_ nothing to do with this!" Sirius exclaimed. He turned his head towards the teachers table, looking like he was ready to wildly protest the sly invitation to Dumbledore's office. But he was quick to notice, just like the rest of us, that the headmasters seat was suddenly empty.

James gave me a suspicious look. "We're not the ones who deserve to be punished!" He said and grinned at me, as to saying that he was going to sell me out.

"Hold on a second!" I was quick to object.

"I have to agree with Prongs on this one," Remus was quick to say.

I stared at him. Shocked that he too was willing to throw me under the bus.

And then I remembered something.

"We never turn on each other," I started saying. "Even if Mr Filch has us hanging upside down by our toes, force-feeding us frog eyes!"

The boys shared uneasy looks.

"Those were _your_ exact words, Potter!" I said smugly.

"She's a quick learner," Sirius laughed, implying that they couldn't blame the attack on me.

"Too quick," James mumbled and sighed loudly.

I felt unexpectedly proud of myself. The marauders would get punished for something _I_ had set in motion.

* * *

I waited anxiously outside the headmaster's office, currently having a staring-contest with the large, scary-looking gargoyle that concealed the entrance. I had never in my years at the school ever had a reason to be called to the office, and though I didn't envy the marauders being up there at this instance, I did wonder about what it looked like in there.

The boys had been there for almost twenty minutes, and I started to get bored. The gargoyle wasn't very much of company either. How on earth had I managed to get by so perfectly being all alone before? It was excruciating now.

Suddenly, the gargoyle stepped aside and I saw the boys walking down a moving stone staircase one by one.

"So, what did he say?" I asked impatiently.

James glared at me. It was a hateful, evil glare. My stomach instantly turned to knots.

"You just got us all expelled, Thomson!" He yelled loudly.

My heart practically stopped beating, and all the saliva in my mouth evaporated.

Expelled? The marauders expelled? _What had I done!?_

I felt my eyelids starting to burn as James kept staring me down. But then, out of nowhere, his expression changed and he burst out laughing.

"Oh Skippy! Your face right now is definitely worth three detentions!" He cried out of laughter.

 _What now?_

"He was just kidding, Raina," Remus informed me with a smile and patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"So… you-you're not expelled?" I mumbled and looked around to see all four boys grinning wildly, all of them seeming way too happy to have just had news of expulsion handed to them.

I impulsively hit one of James shoulders. "Toe rag! You scared me to death!"

"Merlin, Skips, you're quite strong!" James remarked and rubbed his shoulder. "And you should know by now that we're not leaving this school without you," he added and gave me a wink.

He started walking away, still chuckling loudly, with Remus and Peter following him close behind. When I was about to join them, a hand sneaked in and grabbed a hold of mine, pulling me back in to a dark corner.

My heart started pounding faster and my stomach yet again turned to knots. This time, in a pleasant kind of way. Sirius Black was smirking playfully at me.

I looked back and saw how James, Peter and Remus had gone from the corridor.

Sirius still had my hand in his, and with his other he started playing with my hair.

His eyes were intoxicating and his lips looked irresistible.

"We should talk," he smiled.

* * *

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	17. The Talk

**So sorry for the lack of updating! My life has been a real mess lately... I hope some of you will enjoy this chapter (don't hate me for how it unfolds, and keep in mind the pairing of this story...). I know it's a bit short, but i PROMISE to update more frequently.**

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* * *

"We should talk."

Sirius Black was grinning at me. He was deadly gorgeous and I had to control myself to keep breathing normally. I could feel every single nerve in my body vibrate as I kept staring in to his hypnotizing eyes.

 _What was he doing to me? Could he possibly have me under the Imperius curse? I mean, he was a Black after all, and the reputation of the Black's hadn't eluded me._

I most definitely refused to believe that I was one of _those girls_ , who after one night of snogging fell deeply in love and started doodling 'Mrs Sirius Black' all over their notebooks.

After a few moments of explosive silence, he carefully touched one of my cheeks, still looking at me with a smirk. "I keep forgetting what to say, because all I want to do is kiss you," he whispered.

Actually, 'Mrs Sirius Black' sounded like music to my ears now.

 _Damn it!_ I was one of _those_ girls.

My heart started to beat faster as he leaned in closer towards me, still grinning and with his eyes fixed at mine. I couldn't look away because he felt almost magnetic, like an invisible force pulled us closer. When his lips carefully touched mine I could feel myself smiling. I could feel my whole body get warmer.

When he pulled away slowly, I tried not to grin like Cheshire cat. But on the inside, I was screaming of joy.

"Good talk." I mumbled.

Sirius chuckled warmly. He shifted his weight to the other leg, seemingly looking a bit nervous. He had said that he wanted to talk, and it seemed that what he wanted to talk about wasn't just sweet nothings. The more time passed, the more awkward he seemed.

"So…" He finally said and started playing with my hair for a bit, before letting his arm fall to his side.

I tilted my head slightly and looked him in his eyes. "So?" I asked.

"You never told anyone about what happened the other night, did you?" He asked me eventually.

I tried to read his expression in vain. What answer was he searching for?

"Why?" I asked, instead of telling him that I had in fact shared the dirty deed with Marlene McKinnon.

"Well, it's… Like you said before, we should keep it to ourselves for now," Sirius suggested. He looked different. Usually he displayed a kind of casual elegance, but now he just looked nervous and uncomfortable.

That warm feeling in my body had vanished. I couldn't even begin to describe all the things I was feeling now, but a sudden sensation of embarrassment was certainly at the top of the list. And I most definitely knew why.

Sirius Black had realized that he was embarrassed about kissing me.

"Why?" I probed again. My tone was suddenly harsher. The fact that I had suggested that we kept our little rendezvous at the boathouse a secret at first felt irrelevant now. Something had shifted, because he hadn't seemed the slightest concerned if someone found out about it then.

Sirius looked at me, he seemed stressed. "I just don't want things to get weird. Us being friends and all!"

I swallowed hard, and tried to keep my posture straight.

"You're the one who's making it weird now, Sirius," I told him rather annoyed.

Sirius cleared his throat nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Oh you know what I mean, if Moony or Prongs found out, they might not-"

"James? You don't want _James_ to find out?" I interrupted him. I started to feel more and more humiliated.

Sirius started objecting wildly, still trying to find the right words to say, but I wouldn't have it anymore.

"Are you embarrassed about kissing me, Sirius?" I asked him outright.

"Of course not!" He exclaimed.

"Then what's the problem?" I demanded.

He opened his mouth as to say something.

"It's... Forget I ever said anything. It's nothing," he said.

He touched my cheek and smiled brightly, just the way that usually made my knees turn to jelly and my heart flutter wildly. But at this instance, I felt nothing. I knew that he hadn't said everything that he wanted to say. There was still more to this conversation.

"You're not going to charm your way out of this, Black." I remarked and took his hand off my cheek.

He sighed and we stared at each other in silence.

"Brilliant. Let's be friends then. I wouldn't want James or Remus to get _uncomfortable_ ," I sneered before turning on my heels and headed towards the Gryffindor tower.

Before I turned around, I caught a glance of Sirius expression. He looked upset, like he genuinely cared about me.

"Raina!" He called after me, but I was too frustrated with him to stick around longer.

* * *

When I reached the common room I saw a few handful of students sitting around. Some were socializing whilst drinking butterbeer, some were curled up reading a book and some were sitting by the tables playing a violent round of wizard's chess.

I let my eyes scan the room, searching for a familiar face. Since I had been a loner for the greater part of my life, finding a friendly face in the large room wasn't the easiest of tasks. I was just about to give up and retreat to my bedroom when a head full of brown, tussled hair popped up from one of the couches in front of the fireplace. A goofy smile was sent my way.

"Raina!" The girl shouted while waving and I immediately decided to make my way towards her.

"So tell me Marlene, how come I always find you slouching around here?" I asked playfully when I sat down next to her.

"Have you ever sat in one of these couches? They're as soft as a cloud!" Marlene giggled and gently stroke the leather seat.

I laughed at her.

She smiled at me, and leaned back in her seat. "Do I dare to ask if you had something to do with the wrath of Peeves tonight?"

"You can ask, but I might not answer," I teased her.

"Oh, on second thought, I don't think I need to hear your answer!" She laughed.

When the clinging sound of her mellow laughter filled my ears, I felt a crushing urge in my chest to tell her about Sirius. But I was still hesitant towards her, even though I felt genuinely comfortable in her company, I still didn't know if she qualified as my friend or not.

I decided to stay quiet for now. Figure it out on my own. Like I had always been forced to do for the past sixteen years.

Marlene suddenly cleared her throat and gave me a peculiar look. "I kissed Leon again, and I expect it wasn't for the last time," she confessed.

I was silent for a few seconds.

"I kissed Sirius again, and I expect it _was_ for the last time," I told her.

I can't explain it. It was like word-vomit. _Whatever happened to figuring it out on my own, huh Raina?_

"Good for you!" She quickly exclaimed, which made me stare at her puzzled. "Wait, _what_?" She was quick to add, when I realized that she hadn't really understood the last bit of my confession until now.

And suddenly it was like I had lost all my inhibitions, because I found myself divulging like a fool.

"Actually, _I_ didn't kiss him again. _He_ kissed me. Just like _he_ kissed me last time. And then he said we should keep it to ourselves, I mean I suggested it first but still, _he_ kissed me. And now what am I supposed to do? Be friends with him? Act like I don't care?" I felt like someone had opened Pandora's box, and the content was an explosion of all my feelings.

A comforting hand squeezing my arm seemed to stop me though.

"You're rambling. I didn't really peg you for a rambler," Marlene said and smiled at me.

I took a deep breath and looked at her, feeling my face starting to heat up. _Oh Merlin, I acted like a complete nutter._

"Neither did I," I told her truthfully and sighed loudly.

Marlene kept smiling at me. "Boys… Wouldn't our lives be much easier without them?"

I felt how my chest suddenly felt a lot lighter, and my head wasn't spinning as much either. When I turned and caught a glimpse of Marlene's expression, I realized why. She _was_ my friend. And friendship can evidently make a painful evening feel a little less complicated.


End file.
